By Julie West, publications specialist
Office of Research and Economic Development
October 2010 — Territorial disputes over valuable land or waters can potentially lead to war between countries. Oil. Minerals. Water rights. Land with a strategic defense position — the factors that make territory valuable to one group or the other are diverse, but more than half of the world's disagreements over territory have been managed without armed conflict. UNT political scientist, Paul Hensel, studies these disagreements to understand how new issues emerge and what strategies succeed in resolving them and why. Hensel sees conflict management as an under scrutinized area that can shed light on broader patterns of dispute and negotiation, with potential use for scholarship, policymaking and peace initiatives.
Working in collaboration with Sara Mitchell, a colleague at the University of Iowa, Hensel’s research is part of a larger effort called the Issue Correlates of War (ICOW) project that has already documented territorial, maritime and river claims since 1816 in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. His new research is funded by a Collaborative Research award from the National Science Foundation for the project, Contentious Issues in World Politics: Updating the ICOW Dataset, where he will collect data from Asia, Africa and Oceania and extend analysis of these studied areas.
Three common areas of conflict management are bilateral negotiations, which address conflict through face-to-face discussions, non-binding third party activities, which involve external mediators facilitating discussion, and legally binding third party activities, which is settlement of disputes by an authoritative entity, such as the World Court, a king or president, or even the Pope. By evaluating when conflicts begin, how they end, and the techniques used for reconciliation, Hensel hopes to identify danger signs before conflict escalates and understand what things can be done to prevent war.
“People are starting to get worried about rivers,” Hensel said in a recent interview. “Many people are predicting that the future is going to be full of 'water wars.' But our research suggests that even where fresh water is scarce, rivers have rarely led to armed conflict so far. Instead, even rival countries like India and Pakistan have realized that there is much more to be gained by cooperation over their shared river systems.”
Peace science research is a growing field that investigates the causes and consequences of conflict. The Peace Studies program in the Political Science Department at UNT is recognized for expertise in this area. Data from studies such as Hensel’s provides important information for academics as well as for government agencies, environmental organizations, politicians, and other individuals and groups involved in comparative politics, peace initiatives and international relations.
UNT Office of Research and Economic Development
Media contact: Julie West, publications specialist
Phone: 940.565.3173
Email: julie.west@unt.edu