Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing

Louis Kriesberg

On Monday, March 17, students, faculty and community members packed the Father Jensen Theatre to hear the St. Paul’s College University Affiliation Lecture (hosted by the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice).

This year’s lecturer was Dr. Louis Kriesberg, Professor Emeritus at Syracuse University, a pioneer in the field of Conflict Analysis and Resolution.

He spoke of the role of U.S. governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in international conflict, paying particular attention to the Israel-Palestine Conflict. Dr. Kriesberg argued that conflict is not necessarily a bad thing; rather, the “flight or fight” response by some countries against another has caused significant and unnecessary damage where diplomacy could have prevailed.