Nonviolent approach to conflict management

The core tools

Andrea Facchin

Hi.Co.Ma. Project

22/5/2025

Principles of Nonviolent Action

Nonviolent Conflict Management: Conflict Analysis

To approach conflict management from a nonviolent perspective, the first step is to analyze the conflict in order to understand its forms and the actors involved. The elements to analyze are, in order:

• Number and types of conflicts
• Parties involved
• Power dynamics
• Points of friction
• Spaces for management

The Number of Conflicts

When two (or more) communities or parts of a community are in conflict, we often perceive the conflict as a single unit. In reality, almost every conflict is made up of multiple visible and invisible (or latent) micro-conflicts.

Characteristics of Visible Conflict

A visible conflict is one whose effects are immediately observable, such as:

• Use of violence (physical, verbal, economic, psychological)
• Destruction of objects
• Harm or damage to living beings

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Characteristics of Invisible or Latent Conflict

Latent conflict refers to the underlying issues that form the core of each party’s position. Elements of latent conflict include:

• Values
• Worldviews
• Claims and demands
• Self-representations

Parties in Conflict

In the analysis phase, it is crucial to identify how many and which parties are involved in the conflict. When dealing with communities or groups within a community, one must consider:

• Societal layers involved
• Demographic age groups involved
• Stakeholders involved

Power Dynamics

Once the number and types of conflicts and the parties involved have been identified, it's important to understand the power dynamics. For each conflict and each party, we must determine who holds the greater means (material or moral) to sustain the conflict.

Points of Friction

Conflicts rarely involve constant confrontation: there are specific “spaces” where the conflict escalates. These define how the conflict is carried forward.

The following questions can assist in identifying these spaces:

• On which issues do the parties clash?
• What resources are contested?
• Where do the conflicts flare up?

Space for Management

From the analysis, potential spaces for conflict management emerge: times and places where the parties are not in open conflict and often communicate. These are the opposites of the points of friction:

• Which issues do the parties not clash over?
• Which resources are not contested?
• Where do conflicts not occur?

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Managing the Conflict

Once the analysis is complete, one can move to actual management.

By using the spaces for management, it becomes possible to bring parties together and reduce conflict intensity, paving the way toward resolution.

“Nonviolence is the law of the human race

and is infinitely greater than and superior to brute force”

M.K. Ghandi

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Thanks for your attention!

Andrea Facchin

andrea.facchin79@gmail.com