Towards Critical Theories of Conflict Analysis: What the “Critical Turn” in International Relations Can Teach Conflict Analysis

Abstract

Noting the inability of the international community to resolve or prevent the increase in intrastate-armed conflicts, this investigation attempts to motivate conflict analysts to question mainstream approaches in their field of study. They can do so by asking some of the same questions critical international relations theorists asked when the “critical turn” started to take shape in the early 1990s. This investigation documents the emergence of the critical turn in international relations and critically assesses the main approaches of conflict analysis to demonstrate how they are ill equipped in the task of explaining and resolving contemporary intrastate conflicts.