Cascon Sides

CASCON treats each case as having two sides, called the status quo side and the non-status quo side, referring not to ideology, but in the neutral sense of which party seeks to initiate a change in the existing situation:

  • the status quo side wants to keep matters as they are;
  • the non-status quo side wants to change the situation.

There may be more than one entity involved on each side. The principal actors in the dispute, the states, alliances, factions, parties, etc. which make the decisions as to whether the dispute will continue or will be resolved, should be included in either the status quo or non-status quo side in the Case Detail window.

Other entities, which play an important though essentially supportive role, should be classified as allies or supporters of one side or the other and mentioned in the precis for the case during the phase where they play a role.

CASCON's factors refer to the actors in the case as the status quo side and the non-status quo side.  Identifying the actors by their role in the case, rather than by name, facilitates comparison of cases in CASCON.

Cascon Home  Copyright © 1999 Lincoln P. Bloomfield and Allen Moulton