Contemporary Manipur

An editorial from the Imphal Free Press

Source:  Imphal Free Press

Transforming Conflict

The term "conflict management" quite expectedly is given to different interpretations. There are those who think, obviously from a very statist point of view, that this is a strategy for the conduct of conflict itself for the state to adopt. Used in this sense, "conflict management" is directly in opposition with other notions such as "conflict resolution". Unlike in the former approach, implicit in the latter is an acknowledgement, and with it, an accompanying respect and empathy for the causes that led to the conflict in the first place. "Conflict resolution" hence also means a willingness to address the causes of conflict and resolve them in the belief that only this can lead to lasting peace. "Conflict management" starts off on a pessimistic note. The presumption is that conflict is an intrinsic condition determined by irreversible history, culture, religion and race differences etc, and that there possibly cannot be a permanent solution to it. The only viable approach remaining then is to manage it and keep it strictly under control by the use of force if necessary. As also is the experience of the world today, the use of force is indeed a necessary part of this approach. The only permanent solution to conflict and conflicting interests from this viewpoint is to exterminate the adversaries, and as history is again proof, this too has been tried in so many regions of the world. The Holocaust, in which Hitler's Nazi Germany sought the "Final Solution" against the Jews, is the terrifying extent this thought has been, and can be pushed.

The matter however is not all in black and white. If the notion of "conflict management" forms only part of a much bigger whole of a peace project, then it should acquire a different meaning. But for this to happen "conflict management" must have to first cease to be an end in itself. As for instance in Manipur today "conflict management" could mean finding ways not to lose track of other major concerns of day to day life and governance in spite of the ongoing unresolved conflict situation. This would first and foremost entail not allowing the law and order situation to slip beyond control by the exercise of appropriate and proportionate state authority while the peace initiatives are pushed on other tracks. These other tracks must necessarily involve political overtures which address the roots of the conflicts and seek to put them to rest once and for all. The ultimate result must not be about denying the causes of these conflicts or trivialise them in any way, but of a willingness to acknowledge and accommodate them in future policy outlooks. The energy that fired the engine of conflict must ultimately transform to a new fuel for creative and constructive urges in the society. In many ways, many liberals today read this message even on the Jinnah and Partition question, a chapter of Indian history newly opened after Jaswant Singh's recent controversial book on the subject. Many now are of the opinion that there was an abject failure on the part of tall leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru to understand and empathise with the depth  of Muslim insecurity when pitted against "Hindu majoritarianism" even when the later came in a liberal package. As noted academician, Ashis Nandi was quoted by a news magazine recently, what Jinnah demanded at the time is nothing very different from what the OBCs, Dalits and tribal are demanding now. Nandi of course has the advantage of hindsight. Nehru who was fighting a raging fire at the time did not.

The reality of an insurrection being such, it is unlikely to have any quick fix solutions. This being the case, "conflict management" should also mean ensuring a condition where normal life is not adversely affected even while the conflict rages on so that life continues to be liveable. To take just a single and illustrative example, while the government is called upon to do everything within its power to ensure at least a basic level of law and order is maintained, other routine responsibilities such as garbage clearance from the roadsides and market places cannot come to a grinding halt. Likewise, it must also ensure that schools and colleges are run normally, essential services do not stop, developmental works continue as usual, economy building is not hampered, corruption is controlled etc, even while it seeks a resolution to the issues that led to the vexing and endemic trouble in the state. In other words, "conflict management" should come to mean buying the time needed for working out a lasting resolution to the issues of conflict hanging like the proverbial albatross around the neck of every conscientious citizen, and not a method for tackling these issues.

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