The GRIT System
In 1962, Charles Osgood theorized that conflict can be reconciled through GRIT, "graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension reduction". In which one of the two parties in the conflict makes a one-sided concession with the expectation of the same gesture from the other party. If the other party responds, then there can be a "peace-spiral" and a more cooperative environment will form, if they do not respond, then a second, or possibly third, attempt is recommended. None of the concessions should not be too costly, strategically or materially.
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Effectiveness of the GRIT system
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How it Works |
The GRIT system has proven to be effective in several studies and was used to make progress during the Cold War. A few notable studies and texts (the ones I used, if you're interested beyond just these topics, you can easily find more information on it) are Responsiveness and Reconciliation in Conflict (Han & Lindskold), Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (Schneider, Gruman, Coutts) and An Alternative to War and Surrender (Osgood). The problem being that the only way this system works is if the receiving party accepts the offer and reciprocates.
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The GRIT system works on the principle that people will generally respond and build trust in this manner. It works differently than a tit-for-tat system because instead of an obligation, there's an expectation of reciprocation and the things being traded aren't extremely valuable to anyone involved either. The trade is specifically used to build trust, not to exchange land or resources, as with a bartering mediation style.
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