the expression “where you stand depends on where you sit” takes on a new dimension when one considers the complexity of environmental conflict. environmental conflicts, some of the most contentious of our time, take place within a complex and dynamic “context” that can influence disputing parties' perceptions of the conflict and each other, and may alter the conflict in dramatic ways. in other words, where you “stand” with regard to a particular environmental conflict will be influenced by where you “sit” in terms of the particular context surrounding the conflict. context, for our purposes, is the complex and dynamic “setting” in which the conflict occurs.