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Intractable Conflict Threat and Opportunity >
The Nature of Intractable Conflict
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How Are Intractable Conflicts Different from Other Conflicts?

BI Article
Nature of Intractability
It can be difficult to decide whether a conflict is, in fact, intractable. This essay explains why the term, "intractable," is so controversial.

BI Article
Characteristics Of Intractable Conflicts
Intractable conflicts are ones that go on and on, are frequently very destructive, and seem to resist any attempts at resolution. Though international conflicts, such as Israel-Palestine quickly come to mind, domestic issues such as the abortion controversy, and even some marital relations are quite intractable as well.

BI Article
Exercise: Exploring the Intractability Continuum

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Core and Overlay Overview
Complicating efforts to deal with core moral, distributional, and status issues are overlying problems like escalation, misunderstandings, disputed facts, and procedural hurdles.

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Scale and Complexity Overview
Intractability also arises from the fact that society-wide conflict involves millions of times more people than can fit around a negotiation table -- people who are simultaneously pursuing their own competing priorities.