The history of Africa cannot be complete without one talking of colonialism. Indeed, Africa’s written history, by Western scholars, almost always starts with colonialism. The attaining of independence is therefore a very important milestone for Africa. Since independence, however, Africa has experienced both inter and intra state conflicts to which various resolution mechanisms have been applied. This paper discusses the role of African regional organization in peace and security. The Economic Organization of West African States (ECOWAS) is used as a case study to illustrate that “a Third World regional organization can drive a peace-enforcement process and achieve relative peace despite neglect by the big powers,” (Bolaji, 2011). Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of African regional organizations in peace and conflict. Before this is done, it is imperative to discuss why conflict occurs on the continent, occasioning need for interventions to build or enforce peace processes in which the regional organizations then have a part to play. Conflict usually occurs due to a clash of interest in any relationship such as between parties or groups, since they may be pursuing incompatible goals. The word ‘war’ , used as a synonym for conflict, has been used to refer to violent conflict involving armed forces but the post-cold war era has seen the rise of ‘new wars’ which Mary Kaldor writes about in great detail. Throughout history of man, conflict has been experienced and Oyeniyi (2011) argues that it is a normal way of conducting disputes between political groups in human security. David Weeks (1993) in Oyeniyi (2011) posits that conflict is an inevitable outcome of human diversity and a world without conflict ... ... middle of paper ... ... Management and Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security Bolaji (2011) argues that ECOWAS has spearheaded a revolution proving that a third world regional organization can drive a peace-enforcement process and achieve relative peace despite neglect by big powers. He cites ECOMOG’s intervention in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau. He notes however, that it is important that emphasis is put on development of preventive diplomacy as the result of such diplomacy in previous interventions has been modest. Its effectiveness has been hampered by inadequacies and insufficient institutional support form ECOWAS commission,leading to resurgence of crises in some member states and collapse of post conflict states into instability and conflict. Liberia serves as an example of this argument as ECOMOG, having intervened in 1989 to 1996, had to intervene again in 1999 to 2003.
...to be achieved, years, decades, lifetimes, conflict is intended to fulfill this need. Ultimately, conflict theory is about the struggles, ideologies, representations, and power that the haves possess and the have-nots want to exert. These concepts come into play causing conflict between the groups which ends in social change.
What is a conflict? A conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. In the world today there are many conflicts. Students had to read stories and all had conflicts in them. They read the Necklace, The Scarlet Ibis, The Most Dangerous Game, and many more. Three characters who had to face conflicts are Mathilde, Doodle, and Rainsford.
War can be defined as “an active struggle between competing entities. It’s truly hard to tell who is right or wrong during a war. Both sides are fighting for what they believe in and what is true to their heart. In the end there is always two things promised – destruction and death. These two objects can explain the result in every facet of war from the physical to emotional.
The United Nations General Assembly 36-103 focused on topics of hostile relations between states and justification for international interventions. Specifically mentioned at the UNGA was the right of a state to perform an intervention on the basis of “solving outstanding international issues” and contributing to the removal of global “conflicts and interference". (Resolution 36/103, e). My paper will examine the merits of these rights, what the GA was arguing for and against, and explore relevant global events that can suggest the importance of this discussion and what it has achieved or materialized.
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.
In this section, I will provide a brief history of U.S. military involvement on the African continent, starting with the Barbary Wars and working up through the current date. This historical documentation will highlight the change in the role the United States has played in Africa [post 9-11???]. Prior to 9-11, the United States’ interactions were mainly [capture summary here]. Since [?], however, the continent has faced a marked increase in violent extremism and terrorism leading the United States to partner with many African nations in counterterrorism initiatives. These, and other initiatives, mean an increasing number U.S. service members are deploying to Africa to take part in training, humanitarian issues and military operations. These military activities are run by United States African Command, a recently created combatant command.
Europe and Africa have been linked together in evaluating the state formation process. Both regions have similarities, strengths, weaknesses, and room for improvement. To this day both regions are far from perfect. Some light can be shed on this subject, by evaluating Europe and Africa’s state formation process, evaluating what party benefits, and briefly explaining two economic consequences of European colonialism in Africa.
Sustainable reconciliation. (2013, January 16). International institute for democracy and electoral assistance (international idea). Retrieved from http://www.idea.int/conflict/sr/
For my essay I will be evaluating the sub-saharan African country of Liberia. Over the course of this essay i shall try and shed some light on the main threats to peace and stability in the country. Threats that, if not treated responsibly and correctly, could throw Liberia, the Liberian people and potentially a large proportion of West Africa back into the violence and political instability that has plagued the region over the last few decades.
Orogun, P. (2004). "Blood diamonds" and Africa's armed conflicts in the post—cold war era. World Affairs, 166(3), 151-161. doi:10.3200/WAFS.166.3.151-161
Africa has long been a nation of conflict and strife. Certain countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have a prolonged history of corrupt leaders, violence and lack of resources. These conflicts often can lead to spill over and create wars in their neighboring countries. When a weak state has internal conflict it often spreads to surrounding weak states as it did with many of the countries in central Africa. This type of crisis will often involve the entire world in a variety of capacities such as militaries, foreign aid and the global economy. Congo especially has proved to create problems that continue to persist in the modern world and much of that is due to leadership of Motubu Sese Seko. “The conflict [in Congo] produced tremendous carnage: as many as 3.8 million dead and many more injured or displaced. Both phrases of the war (1996-97 and 1998-2002) involved domestic militias, a massive foreign invasion, and shifting alliances – with Angola, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe playing major roles. Even though the was has officially ended, peace remains elusive”(Atzili 2007 pg 141). One player’s internal conflicts spread through an entire continent and affected the whole world and caused enormous damage. All countries need to strive to maintain strong institutions to be a good global citizen and one of the keys to this is leadership.
The recent Civil War in Congo has been a bloody flight, causing more then 3.3 million deaths in just 4 short years.1 Various rebel and ethnic groups have have been involved in the violence, fighting over Congo's rich natural resources or engaged in a bitter ethnic war. With so many opposing factions, it has made reaching a solution difficult. While a rough peace treaty has been established, sporadic fighting pops up in the country everyday. The people of Congo are being pushed farther into poverty and starvation can't handle the fighting for very much longer. I propose that the solution to the post-Civil War violence in Congo is to rid the country of all foreign nations and their problems, namely the Rwandans, and to get combatants inside of the country to hold a summit and find a peaceful and fair resolution to the problem, with a superpower like the United States acting as host and mediator. Once all quarrels are amended, the Congolese can start to focus on a economic strategy for rebuilding the country.
...e seems valuable as holding one group to high-esteem than others always leads to a conflict as the other groups react due to the inferiority sentiments. In the African context, this was not only the case in Kenya during the post-election violence but the cause of the Rwandan genocide as well. In a societal set up, one group attitudes of superiority often leads to the other group feeling inferior and insecure thus leading to outbreak of conflict. As much as the other two authors also manage to bring out their arguments and back them up with relevant sources, Macharia’s article holds more water as it is more logical and he has well-articulated his arguments and his opinion. He manages to clearly show that one of the lasting legacies of colonialism in Africa was indeed the ability of the colonial powers to leave colonies whose people were divided along ethnic lines.
The Berlin Conference of 1884 peacefully divided Africa between world leaders. The conference, also known as the Congo Conference, looked at Africa as a great source of wealth in many areas to be shared among the participating countries. The division that took place at no time had at interest the people of Africa. By the time Africa regained its freedom in the 1950’s most areas had developed severe political and racial division. The result of this turbulence and division is the occurrence of such violent civil wars and genocides in African countries such as Rwanda.
Today's world is full of problems present on an international scale. Yet, differences amongst states compel them to eschew cooperation. The division between the global North and South is the greatest challenge to global governance. The contrast in economic welfare, political stability, and culture among states creates many dilemmas for the international community. The economic differences between highly developed economies and the rest of the world deters cooperation. In addition, social differences between North and South create cultural clashes that breed violence, and adds difficulty to forming international norms. Moreover, the political weakness of some states in the global South create security dilemmas and keep global governance initiatives away from success. The international order is skewed in favour of the global North and serves to empower them. However, international leaders can solve these issues by promoting global equity. In order for global governance to achieve its fullest potential, the world must first address the inequality of states.