The purpose of the case study is to examine the attempted resolution of a contemporary conflict – that is either ongoing or that ended in the post-Cold war era (1989-).

It should be approximately 3000 words in length and may be NO MORE than 10% (300 words) more or less than this – ones that fall outside of these limits will be penalized. The word count does not include title, bibliography etc., but means everything from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion.

You may choose any conflict, from any part of the world, as long as it is either ongoing or ended in the post-Cold War era (1989-)
It may be an inter-state or intra-state conflict (or one where lines are blurred)
With protracted conflicts, it is perfectly acceptable to concentrate on one phase (e.g. the period of a peace process), rather than trying to deal with its whole history
Whichever conflict you choose, it must have a significant conflict resolution component which should be the focus of the case study: e.g., peace negotiations, intervention by a mediator, a peace agreement, a peacekeeping mission or a peacebuilding operation
Aims of the case study
The case study should be an in-depth analysis. We are expecting a critical examination (searching, balanced, reflective) of the following elements of the conflict and its (ongoing, successful or failed) resolution:

Conflict Profile – The origins and principal causes of the conflict
Actors – The direct and indirect participants
Conflict Resolution Processes – The mechanisms and strategies that have been attempted
Evaluation – The relative success or failure of conflict resolution to achieve its objectives
Lessons Learned – Both for the conflict in question, and more widely

Since this is a case study, you may use sub-headings, maps, graphs, tables etc. that you might not do in ordinary essays. However, as with all written assessments, a proper introduction, references, bibliography etc. are still required.
N.B. What we do NOT want is simply a descriptive account of a conflict and its history. The focus should be an analytical study of attempts at a conflict’s resolution – use and analysis of conflict resolution theories and mechanisms, as applied to a specific case, is what will
score the higher marks.