Abstract
A strategic investigation is carried out for the conflict arising over the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to transfer unrefined bitumen from the Alberta oil sands in Canada to refineries located in the Southern part of the United States. Through categorizing the different aspects of this conflict into environmental (e.g. threats to water resources such as Ogallala Aquifer), political, and economic dimensions, this crucial real-world conflict can be better understood and more realistically investigated. In this study, decision makers are divided (based on their authority to decide over the destiny of the project) into two groups, main and influential. Then, based on real world events, occasions, and relationships, their current situations, future options, and preferences are identified. Using the knowledge developed in this process and through the use of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution technique, the aforementioned pipeline conflict is formally modeled and analyzed to gain strategic insights into its resolution.
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Payganeh, S., Obeidi, A., Hipel, K.W. (2015). The Keystone XL Pipeline Dispute Over Transferring Bitumen from the Alberta Oil Sands to US Refineries. In: Hipel, K., Fang, L., Cullmann, J., Bristow, M. (eds) Conflict Resolution in Water Resources and Environmental Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14215-9_9
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