POL2602 Assignment 1 2026 Semester 1 (279662) Due 30 March 2026

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Human Sciences — Department of Political Sciences


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POL2602: Political Con-
flict and Conflict Resolution
Assignment 1 — Semester 1, 2026

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Causes of Conflict: Relationship, Value, Information, Interests and Structural Conflicts




POL2602

Module Code:


Political Conflict and Conflict Resolution

Module Name:


Assignment 1 (Semester 1)

Assignment:


279662

Unique Number:


30 March 2026

Due Date:


University of South Africa (UNISA)

Institution:




Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for POL2602 — UNISA 2026

,UNISA | POL2602 Political Conflict & Conflict Resolution Assignment 1 — Unique No: 279662



Contents

Scenario Overview 4

1 Question 1.1 — Relationship Conflicts 5

1.1 Relationship Conflicts 5
1.1 Definition and Nature of Relationship Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 How Relationship Conflict Manifests in the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 Theoretical Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 Possible Manifestations in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 Question 1.2 — Value Conflicts 8

1.2 Value Conflicts 8
2.1 Definition and Nature of Value Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 How Value Conflicts Manifest in the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Theoretical Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Practical Manifestations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3 Question 1.3 — Information Conflicts 11

1.3 Information Conflicts 11
3.1 Definition and Nature of Information Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2 How Information Conflicts Manifest in the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.3 Theoretical Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.4 Practical Manifestations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

4 Question 1.4 — Perceived or Actual Incompatible Interests 14

1.4 Perceived or Actual Incompatible Interests 14
4.1 Definition and Nature of Interest Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.2 How Interest Conflicts Manifest in the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.3 Theoretical Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.4 Types of Interests at Stake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5 Question 1.5 — Structural Conflicts 17


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, UNISA | POL2602 Political Conflict & Conflict Resolution Assignment 1 — Unique No: 279662


1.5 Structural Conflicts 17
5.1 Definition and Nature of Structural Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2 How Structural Conflicts Manifest in the Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.3 Theoretical Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.4 Structural Conflict Manifestations in Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Synthesis: How the Five Conflict Types Interact 20

Reference List 21




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