Identity is central to all human beings. It is part of everyone's self-esteem and affects how one interprets the world. This is why in ethnic conflicts the violence intensifies so quickly and strongly. Everyone involved is concerned with his or her personal security. One's home, family, and way of life are in peril. Needless to say, in these type of situations it can be expected the individuals involved will battle with every ounce of their resolve to insure that the factors that formulate their identity are protected. (Regan)
Examining conflicts from a structural viewpoint results in a much different result in that the conflict is looked by examining the forces external to the people involved. Little consideration is afforded the involvement of the citizenry and their interests in the conflict. Rather, the conflict is viewed through the effects that it is having on the physical resources or political authority involved, the surrounding geography, or the organizational changes that are occurring. How these factors are involved affects how serious the conflict develops. Conflicts based upon structural factors involve far less emotion and, as a result, are usually easier to resolve. As the personal identity of the people is not at stake the conflict can be resolved at a pragmatic level that is not possible in a structural conflict. (Healey)
Prior to the end of the Cold War, interstate conflicts were far more prevalent. Conflicts developed along political ideological lines as nations divided between the United States and the Soviet Union. Communism vs. democracy was the central theme and conflicts, when they developed, were between ideologies and not ethnic lines. It did not matter whether one was Serbian, a Tutsi or Hutu, or Islam or Christian. The only concern was one's affiliation with the United States or the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet Union fell, however, this all changed. With no one to dispute the United States' superiority and with Communism...
Rwanda and Child Soldering There are approximately 300,000 child soldier in the world today and 120,000 of these are present in Africa, Rwanda in one of the places in Africa with a very high ratio of child soldiers. These children are abducted and then brain washed and manipulated in order to make them killer, spies, messengers etc. They are given fire arms at such early age and trained to not feel
Rwanda is a country in eastern Africa where hundreds of thousands of Africans were massacred in one of the most troublesome time in international history. The book, "We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" by Phillip Gourevitch (1998) tells an all too true account of the atrocities that occurred during this very unstable time in their past. Two opposing ethnic groups, the Tutsis
Rwanda The UN's role in the Rwanda genocide The Rwandan genocide took place during a civil war that nearly destroyed the poor, African nation. The civil conflict was waged between two ethnic groups known as the Tutsis and Hutu. An estimated 800,000 people were killed, mostly Tutsi, and the hands of the ethnic Hutu (UN admits Rwanda genocide failure, 2000, BBC). Initially, the UN had assumed some responsibility for attempting to keep
The Kambanda case would officially begin only three years after the commitment of his crimes. According to a timeline on the trial, "Jean Kambanda is arrested in Nairobi, Kenya on 18th July 1997 and transferred to Arusha, to the International Penal Court for Rwanda on the same day." Thus would begin a remarkable trial, somewhat unprecedented, but arguably driven by the conditions which would be established by the events
Rwanda Genocide and Stories The majority of richer, stronger countries in the world failed to intervene during the genocide in Rwanda because they were part of the United Nations. While the UN does get involved in genocide issues, it is forbidden for other countries to get involved in internal disputes if there is no genocide taking place (Nyankanzi, 1998). Because the UN was not completely clear on what was taking place
While this still falls far short of the average of U.S.$34 for developing countries and U.S.$12 for sub-Saharan Africa, it represents tremendous progress for a country whose health infrastructure was virtually annihilated by the war." Conclusion: For a country that was virtually wiped out during an atrocious civil war in 1994, Rwanda's progress has been impressive especially where economy and education are concerned. However the reason this progress has failed to
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