Towards Building Stability in a Multiethnic/national Society

Transforming protracted social conflicts in a §complex society requires localised three-level §knowledge: historical contexts of conflicts, deeper §understanding of the current conflicts, and social §capital. Such a study is few in Ethiopia. This §area-based study of Sidaamaland complements the §general studies of conflicts in Ethiopia and the §Horn of Africa. The study in this book shows the §absence of meaningful participatory structures, and §the insufficiency of top-down approach in addressing §the socio-economic, political and security needs of §the Ethiopian peoples. The horizontal unpeaceful §relations in Sidaamaland are a spill-over of the §unresolved vertical protracted conflicts, and are §not from old ethnic hatred. Basically, the §communities in conflict raise more or less similar §issues, but lack of the use of avenues for dialogue §between them causes misperceptions. Given the §existing local social capital and national §provisions, the current conflicts in Ethiopia need §not be violent. Students in Conflict Resolution and §culture and all who are interested in conflict §transformation of the Horn region should find this §work helpful. Transforming protracted social conflicts in a §complex society requires localised three-level §knowledge: historical contexts of conflicts, deeper §understanding of the current conflicts, and social §capital. Such a study is few in Ethiopia. This §area-based study of Sidaamaland complements the §general studies of conflicts in Ethiopia and the §Horn of Africa. The study in this book shows the §absence of meaningful participatory structures, and §the insufficiency of top-down approach in addressing §the socio-economic, political and security needs of §the Ethiopian peoples. The horizontal unpeaceful §relations in Sidaamaland are a spill-over of the §unresolved vertical protracted conflicts, and are §not from old ethnic hatred. Basically, the §communities in conflict raise more or less similar §issues, but lack of the use of avenues for dialogue §between them causes misperceptions. Given the §existing local social capital and national §provisions, the current conflicts in Ethiopia need §not be violent. Students in Conflict Resolution and §culture and all who are interested in conflict §transformation of the Horn region should find this §work helpful.