Through geopolitical theory this thesis explores how conflicts within states can be read and understood according to an analytical model determining one or several possible causes for the conflict.  The model is created by the author and reflects geopolitical theory by giving three possible explanations to an intrastate conflict: culture, economy or territorial construction. The aim of the thesis is testing this model on two selectively chosen case studies ? i.e. two intrastate conflicts ? namely: the upcoming referendum in Scotland and the terror attack at Tiananmen Square in China.

In the world after the Cold War, internal and ethnic conflicts have been predominant. Ethnic conflicts have their own theories on why they erupt and what can be done to solve them. This essay seeks to analyze how the Ethnic Security Dilemma can explain the causes, and possible solutions, of today´s armed ethnic conflicts.By making an ideal types typology over different types of ethnic conflicts, and then analyzing the Ethnic Security Dilemma´s impact on each conflict type.

The aim of this paper is to examine if the two latest Peace Plans in the Palestine-Israeli con-flict observes the sources of the conflict and presents measures in the purpose of solving them. The point of departure is William Azar?s theory of protracted social conflict (PSC). According to Azar, the internal sources of a PSC lies in three clusters of variables: the com-munal content of a society, the deprivation of human needs as an underlying source of PSC, and the role of the state in the deprivation or satisfaction of human needs. The study is de-signed as a multiple-case study where the units of analysis are the Roadmap to Peace and the Geneva Initiative.

The purpose of this study was to examine young women?s perception and fear of sexual assault. An additional aim was to analyze the women?s view on guilt and responsibility in rape related questions. Two focus group interviews were executed with undergraduate women aged 22-32 years.

This case study has its starting point in an unpublished study where the results showed that there is a conflict between the leadership and the employees in a private company. The conflict is identified as a result of the company leadership is steering for cost savings and efficiency The aim of this study is through analysis of  the open questions in a quantitative survey describe how the staffs  attitudes and culture is affecting the leadership of the organization. The ideological aspect is very clear and through the aspect of the structural differences between the public and private sector makes it possible to identify the staff?s social rules, ideology and group norms.  These are shown to be in conflict with the economical perspective of the private sector.

I denna uppsats gör vi en ansats till att förklara varför konflikten i Tjetjenien inte är löst. Genom att undersöka om konflikten i Tjetjenien är en Protracted Social Conflict, får vi fram de underliggande mekanismerna och komplexiteten som gör att konflikten kan fortgå. När dessa är tydliggjorda identifierar och senare kritiserar vi de traditionella fredsbyggandestrategierna, vilka inte är tillräckliga i en sådan komplex konflikt. Detta framförallt på grund av att de traditionella fredsbyggandestrategiernas mål snarare är att bygga en liberal markandsdemokrati snarare än fred. För att komma till en lösning krävs en uppmuntran till civilbefolkningen att utveckla forum som kan överbrygga splittringen mellan de olika identitetsgrupperna, detta är dock något som måste ske frivilligt och på folkets egna premisser..

North Korea is considered to be the most autocratic dictatorship in the world today. Its citizens are denied their most basic human rights and North Koreas ambition to pursue nuclear weapons is looked upon with great fear from the international community and the US in particular. Some experts say that the threat from North Korea is far greater than the one possessed by Saddam Hussein. Although North Korea seems to inhabit all the necessary criteria for an US military intervention the United States has openly declared its diplomatic ambitions with the state. Why?With the use of realist and social construction theory this study will bring clarity to why the United States prefers diplomacy instead of a military intervention.

We have chosen to focus our study on conflicts and handling of conflicts in a classroom environment. We are addressing problems such as the teachers? roll in a conflict, the importance of solid leadership in the classroom, students? agency, defense mechanisms in coping with conflicts and so on. In this paper there is a review of different perspectives on conflict and of understanding why conflicts occur the different reasons for the conflicts. Our observation study took place in a grade three classroom, in a mid-sized town, during a regular school day.

The aim of this study was to get knowledge of the communicationprocess between the branch head and the co-worker in communal geriatric care. To narrow it down we focused on how the branch head experience the communicationprocess in conflictsituations between co-workers and what she or he usually do to resolve the conflict. We made qualitative interviews with ten of the branch heads in communal geriatric care, in four communes. The questions we had in mind throughout the study was based on four keywords (communication, leadership, conflict and conflict management) of which we created a narrative story from every interviewing person to get hold of the experience and knowledge behind their interviews. In our analysis as theoretical perspectives we used system theory, communication theory, attribution theory and the philosophy of Dialogue by Martin Buber.

A violent conflict emerged in the Indonesian province of Aceh in 1976, with the rebels of the Free Aceh Movement, GAM, on one side, and the Indonesian government on the other. GAM demanded Aceh to become independent, but the Indonesian government did not accept their nationalistic claims. The conflict therefore lasted for almost thirty years, and many civilians were killed during this period. This essay deals with this particular conflict; its causes and its solution. In the centre of the analysis we find theidentity of the Acehnese people, and the way in which this identity has beenconstructed and re-constructed throughout the history.

The purpose of the essay is to investigate whether the principles formulated by Peter Ackerman and Christopher Kruegler, concerning strategic non-violent conflicts, can serve a purpose when analyzing improvised non-violent conflicts. The principles are derived from factors that have been prominent in earlier successful improvised non-violent conflicts.The essay is based on two research questions; if the factors included in the principles formulated by Ackerman and Kruegler, exist in the two cases that this study investigates, and if those principles offer a satisfactory explanation for the outcome of an improvised non-violent conflict.To answer the questions the study uses a comparative method, where the improvised non-violent conflict of 2004 in Ukraine is compared to the improvised non-violent conflict of 1988 in Burma.The answer to the first question shows that the factors contained in the principles previously mentioned, exists in both cases. The answer to the second question is more uncertain, as there seems to be doubts on whether the case of Ukraine really was completely improvised. Another reason for caution is that the factors contained in the principles, only consider actions made by non-violent actors, and not by opponents or third parties. Thus the risks of missing vital explanatory factors are substantial..

This study in political science examines the UN adopted resolution 1970 (2011) andresolution 1973 (2011) on the basis of foreign policy decision-making. The study aims toexplain how the UN principle of Responsibility to Protect came to be legitimized for the firsttime by the UN Security Council in the Libya conflict in 2011. By a poliheuristic perspectivethe study attempt to explain Russia and China?s acting in the voting of resolution 1970 andresolution 1973. The background to the conflict in Libya 2011 is presented in the study aswell as the Security Council?s actions during the conflict, from the beginning of the conflictuntil the adoption of resolution 1973.

Aim: The aim with the thesis was to examine elderly peoples? motives towards physical activity. Method: A qualitative approach has been adopted with a purposive sampling procedure. Four half structured interviews have been conducted using a thematic interview guide. Results: The fear of being overweight and not being able to take care of themselves were announced as important aspects, since it motivated them to perform physical activity.

The purpose of my study is to find out which way the extended school staff has their knowledge about conflicts, what they think is the cause of a conflict and how they handle conflicts.To answer these questions, I have chosen to do interviews with an available group. I interviewed six persons of different gender, age, nationality and they have been working from three to twenty years at afterschool care.I have analyzed my empirical material using Szklarkis four causes of a conflict and Malténs strategies for conflict management.My conclusion is that the after-school staff's knowledge is mostly based on experience, partly through work with children group in afterschool care and as a youth leader in the voluntary sector. The strategy almost always used for the after-school staff were the collusion strategy.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the conflict of interest between shareholders, life insurance companies and insurers in stock life insurance companies operated on a mutual basis from an agency-theoretic perspective. Further, this thesis aims to explore from an ownership-theoretical perspective, why this conflict of interest exist. A qualitative research has been performed and the empirical data is foremost based on interviews with persons from the life insurance industry and public prints. The study concludes that the stock life insurance company operated on a mutual basis has two principals whose interests are in conflict. History has shown that stockowners? interests have been prioritized on the expense of the insurers.