In recent years, it has become nearly gospel that “escalation” during an acute crisis or conflict is inherently a bad thing. Indeed, “escalatory” has become a synonym for “bad” or “dangerous” or ...

Although disagreement is a natural component of human interaction, polarization significantly increases the risk for interpersonal conflict, hostility, and in some cases, violence (Esteban & Schneider ...

Most people recognize escalation only when it becomes visible—when missiles fly, or ships burn. Conflicts like the one unfolding with Iran do not escalate overnight, nor do they escalate along a ...

One of the clearest warning signs of conflict escalation is a sudden change in tempo. That can mean more frequent strikes, a wider geographic spread of attacks, rising civilian casualties, or the ...