Organizing Insurgency by Paul Staniland, introduces the question, “Do resources like diamonds, drugs, and state sponsors turn insurgent groups into thuggish people or do they help build a more disciplined organization?” The reason this question is asked is because in some cases it suggests that “resource wealth encourages the degeneration of armed groups into greed and criminality” and other evidence shows that “external sponsorship and criminal activity can help leaders build organizations in the face of state repression” (p.142). This question is being presented because with different insurgent groups like the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and the Hizbul Mujahidden, having very similar interactions with state sponsors, could have very different outcomes determining the fate of the insurgency. In looking at insurgent groups and how they operate, we are able to learn how some groups prosper while other groups fall apart.
To illustrate the fact that not all insurgent groups operate in the same way, Staniland suggests that “all insurgent organizations are built on social linkages” (p.150) and the preexisting social networks of insurgencies will determine the fate of the group. In his article, Staniland distinguishes between two different social bases that are the groundwork of most insurgency groups; the two groups he talks about are overlapping and divided social bases. Overlapping social bases are preexisting networks that come together and combine strong links that pull organizers and communities together, and divided social bases are weak ties that are between organizers and communities. The best social base to have of the two is the overlapping social base because it is more likely to prosper due to preexisting social...
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... with a strong basis that is the starting point for everything that happens within the group. The structure of the insurgency will effect wether the organization has discipline or not, like Staniland states “the structure of the social ties on which an organization was originally built shapes the new institutions that that emerge” (p.148). Although some insurgencies are an exception, most prosper because of their strong social basis’, in order to determine wether or not material objects such a diamonds and drugs will effect the insurgency negatively or positively, the answer is usually within how the group was built. “Organizations built through strong preexisting ties can rapidly absorb and use large resource endowments without losing discipline, whereas fragmented groups built on weak social ties fall prey to military ineffectiveness and internal conflict” (p.174).
“The Alliance” by Gerald N. Lund is about a man named Eric who vows to take down The Alliance, also known as the AFC, The Alliance of Four Cities, after him and the rest of his village get kidnapped with implants included. He wants to take it down because of a cruel man named Major Denison. The citizens of the four cities have a microchip implanted into the base of their skulls. This chip prevents them from being angry, feeling prejudice, or committing crimes. This implant makes the AFC a brainwashed and mind controlled society under the Major’s rule.
Guy Sajer’s The Forgotten Soldier is a work notable not only for its vivid and uncompromising account of his experience as a member of the Wehrmacht in World War II, but also for its subtle and incisive commentary about the very nature of war itself. What is perhaps most intriguing about Sajer’s novel is his treatment of the supposedly “universal” virtues present within war such as professionalism, patriotism, camaraderie, and self-sacrifice. Sajer introduces a break between how war is thought about in the abstract and how it has actually been conducted historically.
Many times readers lose interest in stories that they feel are not authentic. In addition, readers feel that fictitious novels and stories are for children and lack depth. Tim O’ Brien maintains that keeping readers of fiction entertained is a most daunting task, “The problem with unsuccessful stories is usually simple: they are boring, a consequence of the failure of imagination- to vividly imagine and to vividly render extraordinary human events, or sequences of events, is the hard-lifting, heavy-duty, day-by-day, unending labor of a fiction writer” (Tim O’ Brien 623). Tim O’ Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story” examines the correlation between the real experiences of war and the art of storytelling. In O’Brien’s attempt to bridge the gap between fiction and non-fiction the narrator of the story uses language and acts of violence that may be offensive to some. However some readers agree that Tim O" Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story" would lack authenticity and power without the use of crude language and violence.
Truddi Chase’s narrative of her life written by her 92 personalities, the Troops, is a fantastic book that takes you on a ride through Chase’s mind from her past to present day where it's unfolding. In the book, Chase is thought to have a multiple personality disorder as a result from horrific, abusive, actions in the past brought on by her stepfather, Bill Milligan. The book is told by Chase’s personalities themselves as her therapist, Dr. Robert Phillips, interviews her daily and keeps logs and tries to find a solution so Chase can live her life normally. Being that the book was the first of its kind to be written about multiplicity, it sets the bar high for others to follow.
Being located in the west coast of Africa and between Guinea and Liberia, “Sierra Leone has an abundance of easily extractable diamonds”(BBC News). The diamonds had brought “encouragement” for violence in the country in 1991. Attacks of the Revolutionary “United Front (RUF) ,led by former army corporal Foday Sankoh”(Encyclopedia Britannica), were on government military and civilians. In response to a corrupt government, the RUF performed violent and terrorist acts that scarred many. “The RUF captured civilians and forced them to work”(Analyzing the Causes) in their army to gain control over Sierra Leone. The savages went a...
War can be defined as conflict and battle. Wars are waged intentionally to destroy bonds between relationships, however, there are also wars that occur within oneself. These wars negatively affect the mentality of humans as it is able to manifest conflicts within the mind. Through the use of literary devices such as: tone, mood, imagery and pathos, writers Paul Boyer, Tim O’Brien, and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war has a substantial impact on the self. In the texts written by these authors, the notion that war is affects the self the most is apparent.
Rethinking Violence: States and Non-state Actors in Conflict. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2014).
Political violence is action taken to achieve political goals that may include armed revolution, civil strife, terrorism, war or other such activities that could result in injury, loss of property or loss of life. Political violence often occurs as a result of groups or individuals believing that the current political systems or anti-democratic leadership, often being dictatorial in nature, will not respond to their political ambitions or demands, nor accept their political objectives or recognize their grievances. Formally organized groups, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), businesses and collectives of individual citizens are non-state actors, that being that they are not locally, nationally or internationally recognized legitimate civilian or military authorities. The Cotonou Agreement of 2000 defines non-state actors as being those parties belonging to the private sector, economic and social partners and civil society in all its forms according to national characteristics. Historical observation shows that nation states with political institutions that are not capable of, or that are resistant to recognizing and addressing societies issues and grievances are more likely to see political violence manifest as a result of disparity amongst the population. This essay will examine why non-state political violence occurs including root and trigger causes by looking at the motivations that inspire groups and individuals to resort to non-conforming behaviors that manifest as occurrences of non-state political violence. Using terrorism and Islamic militancy on the one side, and human rights and basic freedoms on the other as examples, it will look at these two primary kinds of political violence that are most prevalent in the world ...
. Pilisuk, Marc. “[CN]Chapter 5: [CN] Networks of Power.” Who Benefits from Global Violence and War: Uncovering a Destructive System. With Jennifer Achord Rountree. Westport: Praeger Security International, an imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2008. Print.
“Man O’ War was the kind of thoroughbred that brought you closer to divinity than most people had been before.” This quote by an unknown describes Man O’ War well; “Man O’ War was America’s legendary thoroughbred race-horse” (“Man O’ War 1917-1947”) and was the type of horse that taught his rider, the people around him, and the entire world that if you keep pushing you can reach any and all goals. Man O’ War was a loving horse that made many feel as if they were getting closer to God. To most people, Man O’ War was a work of art that was brought down to them straight from God because he was perfect; he was a gorgeous stallion that seemed to most as unbeatable. Man O’ War raced his heart out and dominated every race he was in, even the one race he lost. Man O’ War was an important figure in the 1920s American history because he changed the perspective of horse racing forever.
For decades, Uganda’s economy has suffered through disappointing economic policies and instabilities. These setbacks have been put forth by a chronically unreliable government, leaving it as one of the world’s poorest countries. Uganda’s weak infrastructure and corrupt government are two of the primary constraints against a continuation of economic growth. Uganda has ongoing military involvement in the War on Congo, wrongly taking money from the already deprived country and into the war. Many villages in Uganda also have to waste their precious money and time in pursuit of hiding places. They are faced with a group known as, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). LRA is infamous for their twenty years of massacre and slaughter in Uganda, causing an estimated 1.5 million internally displayed persons. Several people are questioning why the LRA is still terrorizing the country and criticizing the government’s commitment to putting an end this horrific group. The Inspector General of Government (IGG) ...
Along come Gourley et al, and suddenly the finding is new again. But his group applied the idea to insurgency to see if the relationship exists there as well, and sur...
A crime and conflict nexus is very important seeing that it increases the utility of both organizations while putting them closer to obtaining their goal. These connections between the two groups affect individual and state security in drastic ways. Louise I. Shelley, author of Dirty Entanglements: Corruption, Crime, and Terrorism analyses six major terrorist attacks over the past two decades, including nine-eleven
Robert D. Kaplan’s article “The Coming Anarchy," is best summarized by the following quote, which identifies the different factors that he evaluates throughout his article, “To understand the events of the next fifty years, then, one must understand environmental scarcity, cultural and racial clash, geographic destiny, and the transformation of war.” (Kaplan, 1994) This is the framework that he uses to make his supporting arguments and thus this summary will be broken down into these four main parts.
... rebel fighters and insurgencies. The practice is most often associated with conflicts in Africa. The argument surrounding blood diamonds was brought to light in the early 1990s with civil wars in Sierra Leone, Angola, the Republic of Congo, and Liberia. During this time, blood diamonds comprised about 5 percent of the world diamond market, according to the World Diamond Council’s DiamondFacts.org website.