From interests to identities: Towards a new emphasis in interactive conflict resolution

This article explores che methods by which practitioners have traditionally approached international conflicts. Approaches focusing on che resources o r the interests of the parties can be appropriate methods of resolution in conflicts where resources and interests are the only issues at stake. Howev er, conflicts raging today often contain issues of identity These identity- based, ethnopolitical conflicts are often resistant to traditional resource - and interest-based resolution methods. This article suggests a different approach, one that emphasizes needs, and in particular identities, of confl icting parties. We suggest chat such a focus is essential in working toward s resolution in many of the deeply rooted conflicts in today's world. We ex plore the ARIA model of conflict engagement as a mechanism for a systematic approach to interactive conflict resolution that specifically deals with t he complex issues of identity. We also offer a preliminary evaluation of in teractive conflict resolution as a general approach in varied international conflict situations. The question of interactive conflict resolution effec tiveness is explored using Licklider's data for civil war termination and B ercovitch's data for international conflict mediation.