Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis

“…an awesome tour d’horizon of modern war, violence, and confrontation within and between nations. Illustrating via just about every conflict in every corner of the world, the author invokes an endless array of insights and interpretations, ranging from the micro to the macro, beautifully written in a seamless sequence of closely linked and discursive essays.”
-J. David Singer, University of Michigan

“Jeong has successfully combined behavioral and structural analysis of the dynamics of social conflict. This volume covers the multiple dimensions - escalation, entrapment, de-escalation, termination, and resolution - both of violent and non-violent confrontation between adversaries, as well as the utility and limitations of external intervention. For students of the social sciences, it should serve as an excellent introduction to the complex realities of social conflict.”
-Milton Esman, John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, Emeritus, Cornell University


By examining the dynamic forces which shape and re-shape major conflicts, Understanding Conflict and Conflict Analysis provides students with the new knowledge base needed to successfully study conflict sources, processes and transformations. It covers social, political, and psychological features central to understanding conflict situations and behavior.

A wide range of both recent and historical examples (including the Arab-Israeli conflict, US-Russia relations, the “War on Terrorism,” civil wars in Sudan, Iraq, former Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka) are discussed in a comparative context, illustrating the application of concepts and theories essential to the analysis of inter-group, inter-state conflict and prospects for conflict resolution.

Intended Audience: This will be a key text for students of international relations, peace and conflict studies, psychology, sociology, international security and international law.


“Ho-Won Jeong has written an illuminating analysis of the dynamics of conflict. He lays out the tools we have to analyze conflict in a literate and comprehensive way. A valuable book for anyone interested in a more comprehensive understanding of conflict, its sources, and its de-escalation and termination.”
-Janice Gross Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, Director, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto