At the center of this wheel are Needs. Needs can be divided into three subcategories, survival needs, interests, and identity needs. According to Mayer, human needs are at the center of the wheel and they “drive people’s actions, including their engagement in conflict (Mayer 21). He also shows us in Figure 1.2 that the subdivisions of needs overlap, contrary to the pyramidal structure of Maslow’s hierarchy of …show more content…
History plays a major role is many, if not all, disputes. We must look at the historical context between two parties to fully understand the conflict. Mayer says:
Conflict can not be understood independent of ts historical context. The history of participants in a conflict, of the system in which the conflict is occurring, and of the issues themselves has a powerful influence on the course of that conflict. When we try to understand a conflict in isolation from its historical roots, we are sometimes baffled by the stubbornness of the players or the intractability of the issues.
The Chinese Defense Ministry claims that the “the Chinese Navy and Air Force had maintained forces on the Paracel Islands ‘for many years’” (Lander 2016). They also claim that “The Paracel Islands have always been a part of China’s territory” (Lander 2016) . In this way, if the international tribunal council rules that China does not rightfully lay claim to the Parcel Islands, they are taking away, in the Chinese government’s eyes, a land that, historically, belongs to them. This will cause great tension, as disputing the history of a people can be seen as disrespectful, and seen as a personal