The Way from Dispute to Solution: The Peace Process in the Aceh Province of Indonesia

It is observed that internal armed conflicts quantitatively increased in the post-cold war era when emerged in the context of the end of the bipolar world system. Conflict analysis and conflict resolution discipline which focuses cooperation between the conflict parties and inclusive solution and also does not contain hard power policies have become a priority in today s world, in the axis of ongoing armed conflicts in different geographies. In this context, relevancy to conflict analysis, conflict resolution and peace research has increased day by day.The main focus of this study was the analysis of the internal armed conflict and the solution process between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement in Aceh that is one of the 33 provinces of Indonesia within the framework of conflict analysis and resolution discipline where theoretical and practical dimensions are reflected together. The ultimate aim of this study was to fill the deficiency of Turkish literature on the analysis and resolution of the conflict in Aceh and also contribute to the field. Conflict analysis and resolution discipline which have multi-disciplinary characteristics and can be applied by a wide-scale from internal armed conflicts to individual conflicts and also from interstate conflicts to international conflicts constitute a new area in Turkey. Moreover, it is seen that studies related to the Aceh case in Turkey remain barren as well. Such a sudy was prepared to contribute to Turkish literature and analyze what sort of steps can be followed for ongoing conflict processes by reviewing this case study that was seen in the Aceh region and succeeded finally.It is an important issue to assimilate successful examples in the peace process within the framework of Aceh, which shows that the conflict resolution is possible. In this context, even though the dynamics of the conflicts differ from each other, the aim of creating a study in this direction is based on the idea of the example of Aceh, which has been resolved, will be a precedent for the ongoing armed conflicts in the world.In this context, this paper seeks answers to following questions: What are the main factors that constitute the historical background of the conflict and affect the conflict to hit to top? What conditions were valid for passing to the conflict resolution phase? What are the issues that are effective in starting peace negotiations that are one of the five stages of conflict resolution? (reaching to mutually hurting stalemate, the role of the effective mediator in the process, support of external actors in the peace process, etc.). What are the effective variables in accomplishedly resolving the conflict?