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The causes of ethnic conflict
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In this essay I will discuss why the Third World has been the sight of most of the world's conflicts since 1945. The conflicts that have transpired have been mostly internal and not just between these countries and their neighbors. They range in wars regarding religion, liberation, rebelling, and civil wars to name a few. I will consider these conflicts and their make up in regards to countries involved in the most serious conflicts along with the impact on their infrastructures, and how these wars have been fought. There have been over 9.5 million refugees and hundreds and thousands of people have been slaughtered in Africa that came from wars and conflicts in this third world country (globalissues.org). There are civil wars going on currently and in recent years such as Angola, where 500,000 people have been killed in the last 15 years due to fighting for rich resources such as diamonds and offshore oil. Many different groups within Angola continue to fight for these resources with the government supporting their actions. Resources from the land alone is often responsbile for groups within countries to battle for their stake in them (globalissues.org). The rich resources alone are not the root cause of internal conflict within this nation. Political corruption, human rights violations and no laws being followed, all have a hand in the civil wars and conflicts that go on. Another example of internal fighting over rich resources was talked about in our Part 4 reading about Nigeria ( Lesson 13). Nigera was bogged down in conflict between 1966 and 1970 when southern Biafra tried to declare its independence. Cetrain groups in charge of controlling the government did not want to allow th... ... middle of paper ... ...lict, mobilizing factor which have to do with which groups go into the conflict, and aggravating factors. The last factor has to do with the additional reason for conflict to transpire. Any of the above conflicts that were discussed started out as a situation or event that created a conflict. It then escalated from there due to lack of education or strong governing bodies, rebel groups not having a "true agenda", or just basic human injustices that citizens were no longer willing to tolerate. The above issues were considered as I discussed various countries within the third world and their civil wars and conflicts. There will never be a set of rules to help us understand the triggers or factors involved in this interstate violence, because much of it has been going on for years and citizens involved in these battles view them as a way of life.
There was a war in Sierra Leone, Africa, from 1991 to 2002 where a rebel army stormed through African villages amputating and raping citizens left and right (“Sierra Leone Profile”). Adebunmi Savage, a former citizen of Sierra Leone, describes the reality of this civil war:
Almost every state on Earth desires peace, so why do countries go to war so often? Between World War I and World War II alone, there were an estimated 81 million casualties (Primary Megadeaths). Each state has different values and desires and many are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure those values remain in their state as well as spread to others. War results in a failure of states to successfully bargain with one another. The most common reason for wars to occur is territorial control. Of the 155 wars in the past three centuries, 83 of them dealt with territory (Holsti). Adding more territory will often add more wealth to the state. One way it can do that is by providing goods, resources, or industries that a state needs, such as oil or minerals. Iran and Iraq fought a war from 1980-1988 partially because Iraq sought to take control of Iran’s southern oil fields, according to World Politics. Military strategy can also play a role in why states seek new territories. Finally, states can be interested in territory for ethnic, cultural, or historical reasons. A prime ex...
Some americans say that nations hinge on each other, while others say they also compete with one another. This gives rise to rivalry, which sometimes leads to war. Some wars emerge from differentiation in race, religion and culture. Due to the evolution of technology in an accelerated pace, highly sophisticated weapons are now available for use in wars. Wars also bring about widespread destruction, disrupt communication and hamper commerce. Thus, they cause heavy financial loss and great suffering to people. The effects of wars often affect countries that are not involved in the conflict. The threat of war can pressure a nation to waste immense amounts of money on defense instead of spending on developmental works like creating roads, hospitals, schools, and much more. War can halt a countries development. Some countries try to achieve political desires by using terrorism as a weapon against other countries. Terrorism spreads fear in civilians through acts of violence like killings and hostages. This intimidation has transformed into worldwide threat.
Throughout the 20th Century, the world was engulfed in global conflicts, engaging in one war after the next. When looking at these different conflicts, interconnected themes and issues seemed to lead to the later conflicts. The first of the conflicts to affect the globe was the Great War. Since the Great War, numerous conflicts have followed including World War II, The Cold War, and eventually the War on Terror. These wars share similar goals and themes of gaining power and prestige, seeking revenge, and fighting ideologies. Each of these conflicts results in events that eventually lead to the next conflict, creating near constant warfare around the globe. The effects and fears created by these conflicts can still be seen today as we fight
Due in part to its tumultuous past, sub-Saharan Africa is a region of the world that is stricken with war, famine, and poverty. Many people in richer parts of the world, including North America and Europe, view helping the people who inhabit this part of the world as their duty and obligation. Both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental organizations such as the United Nations (UN) alike send humanitarian aid to sub-Saharan Africa. While this aid helps countless individuals and their families, humanitarian aid in sub-Saharan Africa fuels further conflict and enables violent groups, undermining the goals of the aid itself.
The acts of violence that were performed by rebels in Africa were horrific. Adults and children were murdered, mutilated, tortured, and raped. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone performed despicable acts of cutting off a people's body parts with machetes to instill fear in the community. If you were working in the diamond mines and not performing up to the standards of the rebels you would lose a body part as punishment. Rebels would continue to do this from one village to another in order “to take control of the mines in the area” (Hoyt). It is estimated that in Sierra Leone that over 20,000 people suffered mutilation. The acts that the rebels performed to these innocent victims was clearly a violation to their human rights. The RUF collected 125 million a year to fund their war on the government and the people of Sierra Leone.
...then analyzed the different social, economic, and political characteristics of each country that has either experienced or was close to experiencing a civil war. As a result, Collier and Hoeffler were able to conclude (Collier 2010, p.123-124) “that low-income countries are more likely to have outbreaks of civil war”. Therefore, one can see that, although the causes of civil war have been extensively studied by other academic disciplines, Collier’s statistical approach offers a new qualitative perspective to the topic. Furthermore, Collier’s use of economic methods of analysis helps to support the legitimacy of his main arguments, as well as strengthens the view that the book is well-rounded and well-researched.
The conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan killed over 400,000 people, as much as 20 percent of the regional population. The region of Darfur is located on the West side of Sudan. (Ali) The size of the region is around the size of France. (council) The population is around 6,165,000 people. 75% of the people in Darfur are farmers and the other 25% are nomads and these people of Darfur are all Muslim (Ali) . Darfur is a non-Arab population. Sudan is the third largest country in Africa; the country covers 8% of Africa’s continent. The population of Sudan is to be estimated to be around 41 million. The country has a mixed population; it is mixed within four groups, divided by religion, ethnicity, tribal differences and economic disparities. Sudan has a natural resource which is oil which was discovered in 1978, the oil is found in the South. (History)
Almost 5.5 million people killed. Many more millions forced out of their homes. Over 15,000 filed rapes per year. If these number are not yet concerning, then IDont say I must have forgotten to mention that all of this has happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past 20 years due to wars and violence that have plagued the country. Widespread violence has overtaken the country, because ofits rich natural resources. Basic human rights and liberties are taken away, and citizens are raped, abused, and even killed while the government has no power to protect them.
Diamond mining in Africa has turned many parts of the country into a war zone, especially Sierra Leone and. Many people were left wounded and without homes, people were captured by the rebel groups and turned into slaves. Forced to mine diamonds against their will. The Civil War had been going on for ten years, for many children mining became a way of life and many of them were turned into child soldiers.
Civil conflict has been a focal point of the world’s attention in the post-Cold War Era, with news coverage of human rights violations, poverty, and casualties. This era has brought a systemic change from interstate wars to intra state wars. Civil conflicts may be arguably more severe than interstate wars because of the use of rebels, the lack of organized forces, and issues of sovereignty. The specific topic of this research is conflict and in particular, the causes of civil conflict.
The causes of armed conflict in the Greater Horn of Africa are numerous and range from individuals to groups to structural inequality and injustice. The quality of governance within a few states in the Greater Horn of Africa has improved in the last decade; however, state structures are eroding. The geopolitical map is being rearranged in the Horn of Africa as new states are formed; Enitrea has won independence, Somaliland has declared it, and southern Sudanese rebels seek it. The power within the Greater Horn of Africa is being redistributed to the point where group power relationships are far more stable. Some systematic causes of conflict are structural conditions which include external factors as the legacies of colonial and Cold War policies and internal factors as geophysical conditions, resource scarcity, poverty, socio-economic inequalities, and ethnic divisions (“Costs and Causes,” n.d.). The primary cause for conflict in the Greater Horn of Africa is competition over declining resources. Resource scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having humans who have unlimited wants and needs in a world with limited resources (Wikipedia, 2011). In the Northern ...
There are many reasons why tensions and conflicts occur. However, most of their causes are very complex. Some of the causes include territory, resources, issues of identity and the quest for political autonomy. Nevertheless, some of the greater sources are ideological and human rights conflicts and demands that are advanced by the two or more parties involved.
Conflicts are caused by a number of factors like competition for resources, creed, and lack of strong law enforcers. When they are not well handled; small and manageable conflicts can blow out of hand, calling for international interventions. By the time conflicts get to these levels, many properties and lives will have been lost. During conflicting moments, innocent people face the edge of the sword, leading to family instability, separation, homelessness, disabilities and animosity. Children are not left behind during conflicts. In case of western African countries, such children have been forced to soldier hood, making them lack parental care and education.
Collier (2007, p. 33) argues that the economic growth is the best way for fragile societies to avoid the conflict trap. UNDP (2003, P.31) notices that the identification of the conflicts’ negative effects on development, the international community did not develop tools to address the civic conflicts factors similar to the tools that addressed the wars between countries. According to UNDP (2003, p. 43) efforts for extreme poverty reduction should be integrated with peace-building and conflict prevention strategies. Based on that, UNDP has developed in 2003 the “Conflict Related Development Analysis (CDA)” tool that is comprised of three steps including the analysis of conflict roots, the current response’s to conflict and the identification of possible points for strategic interventions in the future. CDA framework aims at addressing not only the security and political factors of conflict, but also the underlying economic and social factors (UNDP, 2003, p.7). Similarly, USAID (2012, p.9) considers that the conflict drivers should be considered an integral part of designing development initiatives in conflict areas. Therefore, USAID (2012, p.31) applies “Conflict Analysis Framework, CAF” that is sensitive to conflict situations and works on two key stages: identifying the political economic, social and security factors of the conflict, and then developing intervention programs that are sensitive and responsive to that conflict. The world Bank (2011, p.270) concludes from its review international assistance provided to many countries that working under insecure conditions requires coordinated and integrated work on “development, security, political and humanitarian” issues together.