State Failures in Conflict Resolution: Case Study of the Crisis in the Sudan (1956-2011)

Abstract

Conflict is ubiquitous in nature. Its history is as old as recorded human history, causing some writers to posit it as part of the human experience. The frequency of conflict situations in the world today has caused great concern to many. And the ways that states handle conflicts in their domains have tended to exacerbate conflicts, rather than resolve them. States tend to take advantage of their monopoly of force to dominate and suppress conflict situations, rather than engage in meaningful dialogue. In this paper, it is argued that states should explore other avenues to resolve conflicts and only use force as a last resort if other strategies fail to yield meaningful result.