How do conflicts evolve? What are the causes of conflict? Why do they escalate and what can be done to contain or even solve them? In the action-centred simulation game “Crisis in Fontania” participants take on the roles of actors in the fictitious country of Fontania as well as in surrounding states. Relations between the two ethnic groups within Fontania have been tense for a long time because of conflicts over the distribution of power and resources and some legacies from the countrie's troubled past. The conflict has been fuelled by the recent discovery of huge oil reserves in the South of the country, predominantly inhabited by the minority group of Amalians. While global oil companies are eager to exploit the new fields, international observers warn that the tense situation in Fontania might escalate.
The game will help participants understand the dynamics and the complexity of national and international conflicts as well as possible approaches to their resolution in the real world. The simulation game will be followed by a debriefing session in which we will map the turning points, the key actors as well as the processes in the game and try to derive possible lessons learnt for conflict management in the real world.
Instructors
- Björn Warkalla , External lecturer
- Simon Raiser , External lecturer
