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The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of American and international students on conflict resolution, and to determine if the students were willing to participate in conflict resolution. A survey was given to 226 students at an eastern university that asked them to identify a major international conflict and whether they felt that the conflict could be resolve. Among this group, 122 (54%) were international students and 104 (46%) were Americans. The results indicated that most of the students felt that the conflict could be resolved. However, the foreign students were more optimistic than the American students about resolving these conflicts. The conflicts identified were consistent with the current status of the world, and reflected the knowledge of the respondents about world affairs. A follow-up survey was conducted to determine if the students were willing to participate in conflict resolution.

The paper presents two formal models of ethnic conflicts: an agent-based model of ethnic mobilization and a system-dynamics model of societal conflicts. Models are based on recent social-science theories of preconditions, causes, and dynamics of ethnic violence and on experience in the former Yugoslavia in the last two decades. We present the architecture and main models' elements, and roughly compare their dynamics with observed patterns of behavior in the Yugoslav crisis. We conclude that computerized modeling of ethnic conflicts and similar complex social behavior cannot predict or accurately replicate real-world events, but can help in developing and understanding relevant scientific concepts and theories.