The key to understanding the impact of climates on conflict is to explore the reciprocal influence of climate and interaction. Climate affects interaction, and interaction in turn defines and alters climate. Both sides of this relationship need close examination in order to understand the role climate plays in conflicts. Once we understand this better, we can posit some methods for creating productive climates and avoiding nonproductive ones.

In all interaction, and particularly in conflicts, one of the key problems parties face is their uncertainty about how to act and about what the consequences of their actions will be. Uncertainty is natural in conflict because many people are not as accustomed to conflict as they are to other sorts of interaction. Perhaps due to a cultural tendency toward avoiding or ignoring undesirable situations, many people simply do no think or learn much about conflicts. Even for those who are accustomed to conflict, every conflict presents specific problems and choices never faced before. Even if it is a dreary rehash of a long standing argument, each conflict holds the potential for change, for better or worse.

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