

In “Chinatown” Conflict Resolution, the Dust Clears - zhte415
http://www.pon.harvard.edu/?p=44645/?mqsc=E3788544&utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=PON%20Harvard+Negotiation%20Insider%20Tuesday&utm_campaign=Neg_Insider_02102015

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pyre
This:

> In 1997, Los Angeles signed an agreement with the basin to clean up the air
> pollution—a move that opened up a dispute about the degree to which the lake
> bed was responsible for the dust.

Seems to just dangle at the end of the article. Seems very out of place,
especially since the resolution of the conflict happened after the 2013
election. Why are they bringing up 1997 and then ending the article?

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bronson
What is with the sentence fragments and jittery tone in that article? It's
really hard to read.

It sounds like "deny deny deny" is the proven conflict technique that wins out
in the end.

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pekk
Here's what I learned from this study of "conflict resolution."

After you use corruption to completely steamroll a small community so that it
is permanently and seriously damaged, causing health problems for generations,
you can then wait 100 years for people to get tired of fighting you, and for
the artificially desertified area to gradually depopulate. Then you can draw
down on whatever compensation you might have offered before, by complaining
that it is too expensive - as long as you are the 800 pound gorilla, so that
you can dictate terms to whatever remains of the community after 100 years of
dust bowl.

All that's required is for the victims to develop a "new mentality" and "start
listening" to the 800 pound gorilla. De-escalating an unjust aggression
(contingent on victims accepting a raw deal because they can't get any better)
now qualifies as an "impressive victory" and "proven conflict-resolution
techniques." Great job, 800 pound gorilla!

