Conflicts

In everyday English-language usage, conflicts refer to (a) serious disagreements, (b) prolonged struggles (e.g., armed clashes resulting in loss of life, or labor disputes), or (c) the clash of incompatible claims or principles, as in conflicts of interest.

In political science, conflicts can be analyzed as the outcomes of a certain kind of relationship, comparing relationships of cooperation and competition with those of conflict. When there is cooperation, humans work together in pursuit of common objectives. When there is competition, they struggle with one another in contests governed by rules that determine who succeeds and that identify the sanctions to be imposed for noncompliance. When there is conflict, either no rules are recognized or any relevant rules are not properly enforced. While rules may be embodied in laws or treaties, there may be dispute about their application. Moral principles may sometimes be regarded as rules of conduct. It should be noted that even in armed conflicts between states, offenders can be punished for war crimes, while the Geneva Conventions specify the ways in which civilians are to be protected in international conflicts.

Though the absence of conflict is not considered newsworthy, it can be just as important to political science as the analysis of violence. Distinguishing the dimensions of conflict makes it possible to uncover underlying principles, such as has been done in game theory. Less abstract lines of analysis, such as field investigations of the strategies pursued by the parties to conflicts, and the options open to them, can be equally illuminating.