Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict

Introduction: Olympio Barbanti talks about the shortcomings of using U.S. based conflict resolution models in the developing world. He says the lack of regulatory structure is a severe obstacle to U.S. conflict resolution processes in developing countries.

This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).

The Developing World and US Conflict Resolution Models
Olympio Barbanti
Faculty in the Department of International Relations at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003

For example, in developing countries, social theory is very influenced by some kind of Marxist approach, like in Latin America... together with a Marxist approach pose some limitations to the application to the conflict resolution approach to these same countries. People do not believe that conflicts can be resolved or they are not capable of sorting out their differences in a rational or formal way. In fact, they believe that you need to increase conflicts as a way of promoting a change in society.

Science cannot resolve moral conflicts, but it can help to more accurately frame the debates about those conflicts. -- Heinz Pagels

Featured Links
Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict

International Alert (IA)

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

Getting to Peace
William Ury explains how to transform confllict at home, work, and in the world.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Rigoberta Menchu Tum
Prominent civil rights activist in Guatemala, and 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2007 The Beyond Intractability Project
Beyond Intractability is a Registered Trademark of the University of Colorado
Project Acknowledgements

The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors
c/o Conflict Information Consortium (Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado
Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309
Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact