Lederach adopts researcher Maire Dugan's nested foci paradigm for relating the immediate issues within a conflict to the larger systemic aspects. Issues arise within relationships, which exist within the larger context of subsystems, and ultimately society-wide systems. To fully understand conflicts, issues must be understood in relation to these larger contexts. In Chapter Five Lederach adopts mediator Adam Curle's matrix for describing the progress of conflicts in terms of the balance of power between the parties, and the degree to which the parties are aware of their conflicting needs and interests. Conflicts progress from situations of unbalanced power and low awareness, or latent conflict, to situations of unbalanced power and increasing awareness, or overt conflict.
Negotiations attempt to bring overt conflicts to a situation of balanced power and high awareness.
When this situation is stable, Curle calls it peace. Peace building activities should focus on increasing awareness and balancing power. Chapter Six integrates these models of conflict into a process-structure of conflict. In this view the goal of peace building is not merely to get rid of an undesirable situation. Such processes should rebuild and sustain relationships.