Inequitable Power Sharing

3. Factors That Make Conflict Intractable

There is an old saying that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  The more power people or social groups have, the more they seem to want to increase that power further, and use it to coerce others to go along with whatever the more powerful person or group wants. This leads to high levels of inequality — in power, status, income, and wealth. And that tends to lead to power struggles, as the powerless try to increase their power, and the powerful try to maintain the upper hand. At the international level (and sometimes lower levels), that leads to what Guy calls "I'll fight you for it rules," where "might makes right," and rule of law, fairness, and cooperation cease to be relevant, and coercion, escalating conflict, and possibly violence become more likely.
 

Resources on this Topic

To see all Guide Resources on this topic, scroll within the resource box below.
Stars indicate resources that we think are especially useful.