Conflict in Complex Socio-Natural Systems: Using Agent-Based Modeling to Understand the Behavioral Roots of Social Unrest within the Mandera Triangle

Conflict resolution research relies upon a deep understanding of human behavior within highly complex socionatural systems. Scholars must isolate the source of conflict among individuals reacting to the feedback of changing socionatural conditions. Fortunately, the oft-obscured roots of conflict typically surface at critical points of change within the system. We use the Mandera Triangle region of East Africa as an example of this surfacing of behavioral drivers. Our research fuses a wide range of backgrounds to construct a simulation model of Mandera and to gain a better understanding of the roots of human behavior in relation to social conflict. Key Words—herder-farmer conflict, agent-based simulation, Mandera Triangle, East Africa.