by Heidi Burgess

August, 2019

Purpose: To allow students to expore factors that tend to make conflicts intractable, while simultaneously examining the complexity of the typical intractable conflict.

• Put students in groups of 3 or 4
• Give each group 2 “Causes Grids.” (See below, after the instructions.)
• Ask them to identify a conflict that they know a fair amount about that they think is pretty intractable.  (If you have done the Intractability Continuum exercise earlier, have students choose a conflict off the right side of the continuum.)
• Write the name of that conflict in row 2 of the grid, under the heading “Conflict 1.”
• Then ask them to identify characteristics of that conflict that are making it so difficult to solve, and list those in column 1, under causes.  
  • So, for example, if students choose Israel/Palestine for conflict 1, then in column 1, starting in row 3, they might write: “unwillingness to share land” under causes in row 3, long-running hatred in row 4, fear in row 5, identity in row 6, religion in row 7, etc.  
• Put a check mark or an "x" in column 2 under Israel/Palestine for each of the causes identified.
• When they run out of ideas for conflict 1, have them choose another conflict of a considerably different character.  
  • For instance, they might choose abortion.  Have them go through the causes they have listed for conflict 1, and put a check mark (or an x) in column 3 (under abortion) for all of those elements that apply to abortion as well.  
  • For instance, fear does, identity does, religion does...maybe even hatred does. 
  • Then consider what other factors are causing abortion to be so intractable, and list those at the bottom of column 1 under causes. 
  • For example, students might list “moral issue,” “life-or-death issue,” and “unwillingness to compromise.” Put a checkmark in column 3 (under abortion) for all of these new causes.  
  • Then go back to conflict 1 and consider how many of the new causes relate to conflict 1 as well.  “Life or death issue” certainly does, as does “unwillingness to compromise.” One could certainly argue that “moral issue” does as well.
• Then do the same thing for a third conflict. Put check marks (or x's) next to the existing causes that relate to the third conflict; identify additional causes, and then consider if those additional causes relate to conflicts 1 or 2 as well.

• The quickest is to ask students to list the causes that appear in all three of their conflicts.  List these up on the board. Discuss whether or not it makes sense to conclude that these issues increase the likelihood of a conflict becoming intractable.  
  • Ask other students if the characteristics each person mentions applied to their conflicts as well.
  • Consider some more tractable conflicts.  Do these issues apply to them as well?  Most often the answer will be “no” or “not as many.”
• The more time-consuming approach is to have some or all of the groups “report out,” and put a composite grid up on the board that lists everyone’s conflicts and causes.  
  • Then look at which issues tend to appear in all or most of the conflicts. 
  •  As above, discuss whether or not it makes sense to conclude that these issues increase the likelihood of a conflict becoming intractable. 
  • Then, as above, consider some more tractable conflicts.  Do these issues apply to them as well?  Most often the answer will be “no” or “not as many.”