This paper is a Master thesis for the Master?s program in International and European Relations in the Department of Management and Economics at Linköping University. As the title indicates, the aim of this thesis is to make a comparative analysis of the conflict resolution initiatives that were employed in the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts. The research questions are: ? What were the root causes and trajectories of the Sierra Leonean and Liberian conflicts? ? What were the conflict resolution initiatives employed in resolving both conflicts? ? Why did the Lome Peace Accord succeed in the case of Sierra Leone whilst the Abuja Peace Accord failed in bringing peace to Liberia? In order to answer the afore-mentioned questions and fulfil the aim of this paper, a qualitative research method has been chosen.

The purpose with this research was to find out what advantages and/ or disadvantages there might be as playing the role as a lecture. In everyday life we give eachother different roles. During the last years the lecture has become a current and outstanding role. This has made me more curious about the lectures´ thoughts about there role. In this work I have tried to explore about the lecture playing the role.

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.

This essay deals with the question of lines of development within the politics in the rural municipality of Nyed 1950-1962. The aim is to explore how local politics and policies were handled from two perspectives. Firstly the issue of conflict and consensus or majority rule and consensus. Here Arend Lijphard's theory of majority and consensus provides a theoretical base for the essay. Secondly the aim is to explore the actions of the local politicians with regards to leisure time policies to find out whether or not they ideologically belonged to the concept of ?folkhemmets kommun? by Ulla Ekström von Essen.The source material for this essay has been the minutes from the two major bodies of local politics in Nyed, kommunalfullmäktige and kommunalnämnden.

The discussion of the swedish treatment of offenders often revolves round the two contradictions punishment and care. Modern prison is described to be based on values such as humanity, care and respect, although the main task is to protect the society from criminals by keeping them locked up. This study focused on the role of the prison officer with the purpose of understanding how he sees his profesional role in an organisation influenced by punishment and care.Central questions are: How does the prison officer handle his role as caretaker in an organisation where he not only has the right to, but also is obliged to, controle and power his clients? How does the prison officer define his working role and does he find any dificulties in combining these?The research was realized during the months of April and May 2005 through qualitative interviews and conversations with prison officers working in a swedish prison. It also contained a minor fieldstudy in that same prison.The results showed that the principle conflict between punishment and care have an insignificant influence on the daily work of the prison officer.

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..

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.

This text deals with the shooting of a movie comedy. The author of this text was script writer as well as director. The film was extremely dependent upon the interpretation of the role of the leading female character, but the director and the leading actress, in spite of their willingness to cooperate, were unable to understand each other, and no creative meeting ever occurred.The film dealt, in amused distance, with male and female strategies and shortcomings, but the lack of understanding between the director and the leading actress caused the subtleties of the text disappear, so that when the film was ready it was possible to interpret it in a way that partly opposed its intentions.From the director?s point of view different aspects of the situation are investigated: what could she /should she have done? What are the obstacles for a better understanding? Is ?understanding? dependant only upon that which is verbal? Should the director not only be a director but also a kind of therapist? What is professional and what is private? Could a director who wasn´t also the script writer have seen other solutions? And how does it affect you as a female director never to have role models, only a very clear idea of what you don?t want your professional role to look like.The director thought she was being constantly compromising, but finds out she was not, she had only a different, and in appearance, friendly but manipulative strategy in trying to reach her goal: that of enforcing and implementing her personal interpretation of the script. The role of director is also a role, and must be played.

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 essay deals with the complexity that I perceive in the collaboration processes between preschool and parents. In the essay I present my interpretation of two self-perceived situations where my experience has been that the cooperation has not worked satisfactorily for either part. As a basis for my conclusions I use different theories and studies within the domain. My own experiences - both from ten years of working in preschool as well as from an eight-year experience of being a parent also comes into use. The purpose of my essay is to investigate how different horizons of understanding can come into collision, and how limitations in our own understanding of the perspectives of others can complicate collaboration between educators and parents.In the first story I discuss a situation where, in my professional role, I go into a conflict with a parent about how we have chosen to implement some changes.

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.