Root Causes Breakdown of Societies Topics Last Week

Root Causes: Breakdown of Societies

Topics Last Week n n WHEN AND HOW TO INTERVENE? (SOVEREIGNTY IN INTRA-STATE CONFLICTS) CONTINUUM DEBATE: LINKING RELIEF, REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT DECLINING RESOURCES, DISPARITIES IN ALLOCATION MANAGEMENT u INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL u INTRA-ORGANIZATIONAL

TOPICS n n Management of International Organizations (we didn’t finish last week) Web resources & BBs for this course Sources of Conflict Continuation of Conflict

NOTE n n No mono-causal pathway exists (unique situations) Different levels of analysis (remember: u level mix, e. g. , individual F (nation) state F international system F issue mix, and u actor mix) u n n Realist theories of state power are now less useful Societal level theories deserve more attention (historical, cultural, and so on)

Sources of Conflict n Structural Sources demise of empire u failed states/weak states u n Social and Psychological Sources of Identity ethnicity u religion u n n n Environmental sources Economic sources Military Technology Individuals? Development Cooperation

Structural sources n Collapsed empires (e. g. , collapse of the Soviet Union & end of the Cold War) u divide and rule from before the collapse! u demise of central power => less restraint on rivalry u split-up of territory (SU, Yugoslavia & Africa) u conflict over (arbitrarily drawn) borders u role of ethnicity & religion & desire for selfdetermination u “new” elites are not necessarily more democratic => replicate old imperial order n A need for new empires? Or UN as alternative?

Structural sources n Failed States: (empirical statehood vs state sovereignty) u non-democratic F fear u regimes of democratization by (corrupt) elites weak state, authoritarianism, and corruption F state power as access to resources F social exclusion & structural violence F breakdown of two state-monopolies: • monetary (tax, monetary system => internal regulation) • violence (policing internally, army externally) u breakdown of civil society u role of ethnicity & religion & desire for selfdetermination and/or participation

Structural sources n Failed States (empirical statehood vs state sovereignty) u tension between human rights & consolidation of state power? u ill-conceived international support u withdrawal of super power support Remember: state-building is always slow through modern state, educational system, media (promote 1 language & homogeneous culture). Think of the Basks, Corsica, Quebec, Aborigines.

Social and Psychological Sources of Identity Ethnicity n u ethnopolitical trend started in the 60 s, became visible in the 90 s u Cultural identity is a crossclass/gender/age basis for mobilization. It is a cultural bond not an associational one. u Redressing trauma or other grievances u But ethnicity is malleable (clans in Somalia, rasta in the UK). Nations & ethnic groups are also imagined communities: not everybody knows each other directly! u Ethnicity can lead to internal inclusion and external exclusion (the other)

Social and Psychological Sources of Identity n Religion Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” u Double nature: u emphasis on love and tolerance F absolute truths F u Roughly 4 different forms: Violent intolerance (Ayodhya, kill the infidels) F Civic intolerance (ballots instead of bullets, but not more freedom for religious minorities) F

Social and Psychological Sources of Identity F Non-violent tolerance The Dalai Lama welcomes, rather than evades, his enemies—grateful for the threat and conflict they represent— because their presence provides the occasion to practice the self-restraint essential to final self conquest: “tolerance can be learned only from an enemy: it cannot be learned from your guru. ”

Social and Psychological Sources of Identity F Non-violent tolerance (continuation) Violence is in reality not militant enough. It simply does not effectively protect or secure religious identity, but, on the contrary, destroys it. F Civic tolerance Compromise of other three: violence destroys religious identity, but force may be necessary to establish system of law and governance that protects religious freedom

Environmental Sources n Resource scarcity (and wealth at times!) u fight for resources, such as oil, diamonds & water u environmental degradation: F deforestation F rising sea levels F desertification and drought F decreasing biodiversity n n Population pressures Pollution

Environmental Sources n Coping mechanisms, like migration and urbanization, can spell misery, but do not necessarily lead to conflict: u hard to distinguish environmental and economic refugees u help to victims u individual suffering u demise of native cultures (Amazon indians)

Environmental Sources n Evidence is inconclusive: u Threshold values; slow onset. Hard to determine when problem is intense enough u Problem in short- or long term u People first use alternatives, such as migration, seasonal labor, or split up families inside and outside the refugee camp u Closely related to economic factors u The interaction with the socio-political system is crucial

Economic Sources n Asset transfer once asset transfer becomes systemic, it is possible to speak of the political economy of conflict n Development cooperation & humanitarian intervention often fail to address this asset transfer (winners & losers). According to Duffield they (involuntarily) integrate into this political economy, e. g, through exchanging currency, local transactions, and diversion of food aid.

Military Technology n Chicken-and-egg affair: what came first violent conflict or the use of arms? u Pessimists: all new weapons have been used sooner or later u Optimists: deterrence works However, n if 5% of the population wants a war, there will be a war n proliferation of cheap, small arms has fed cycles of conflict

Military Technology However, n landmines have long-lasting effects (also after peace accords n terrorism is poor man’s war Especially important is the breakdown of the monopoly of violence by state or colonial power: if the environment is unstable & history of conflict, then new weaponry can be a catalyst for war, but in system of peaceful dialogue & fear of casualties, new weapons can prevent conflict

Individual Two different types of theory: n Human nature & instincts u “Homo homini lupus” brings a need for a social contract n Leadership u age-old debate in history u Hitler & Germany? , Milosevic & Serbia? u An American President and the genocide on the native Americans?

Development Cooperation “Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda” n Development cooperation is a political act, it is not just a technocratic, value-free exercise! n Insufficient understanding of local context (structural violence and corruption) n Insufficient attention to the consequences of aid: u bad use of evaluation u occupation of land u forced cooperation

Development Cooperation n closing eyes for mounting societal problems u negative consequences of structural adjustment u non-democratic civil society u inciting hate u did not protest colonial legacy (difference between hutus and tutsis) u own ineffectiveness & contribution to societal problems

Continuation of Conflict n War economy u top-down u bottom-up u role n n n of international political economy Myths of struggle, warrior myths (Unresolved) Trauma Brain drain Capital flight Humanitarian Intervention

Continuation of Conflict n n Conflict often means a continuation & intensification of root causes States loose income sources, become weaker and cannot withstand warring factions or fulfil claims of the population, e. g. , providing social services (and loose even more legitimacy)

Conclusions n n n Root causes always have political element. Try to break political down into components: be specific about problems and their root causes They continue and intensify during civil conflict Under which conditions does conflict arise? u Short-term and long-term differences u Direct and indirect effects u Possibility of alternative coping mechanisms & capacities of the local population u Interaction of several sources of conflict u Quality of the socio-political system is crucial

Conclusions u Different Perspectives/value judgments on war and its root causes: F Cold War model with two opposing sides F Chaos & anarchy F War’s negative consequences: war is bad F Understanding the war economy & political context (war as an end in itself) u There are even more sources of conflict than mentioned in this lecture u More research is necessary, e. g. , relationship between structural violence and social exclusion u Root causes persist after peace agreement: need to link relief and development in a politically informed manner!

TOPICS n n Sources of Conflict Continuation of Conflict