War and ConflictCopyright 2006: Dr. Aran MacKinnon

The ways and means of violence

Dimensions of Conflict

• War and Violent Conflict have had profound proportions and implications. Far reaching effects, many of which we are unaware of.

• World Health Organization: ‘War is a leading public health problem’.

• It is not as pervasive, insidious or silent as poverty and disease, yet it has triggered significant problems associated with poverty and health

Overview of War and Conflict

Modernity = progress/problems

War and violent conflict, driven by economic and grievance factors reveal fault lines of inequality

• 1. As ‘Civilization’ developed, it became increasingly violent, and it enhanced its capacity to perpetrate violence.

Overview

• 2. Technological advances have been as much about destruction as about production, and these have had economic costs

• 3. Increased availability of weapons has led to increased use, not just deterrence

The Background to Conflict

• Historically: Conflict ensued over competition for resources.

• It has appeared to have many ‘root’ causes: Nationalism, Ethnicity, etc, but the imperatives of sustaining and expanding the political economy have been the main cause

History of War

• -Eg. Sargon of Akkad, Ancient Mesopotamia: War to gain resources

•Sargon

History of War and Conflict

• Technology: Bronze and Iron = democratization of war vs. Elite warriors, Knights

• -Greek Example: Athens and Sparta: War societies: All male soldiers/rowers = citizenship

• Costs: spread the tax burden of war

History of WarThe democratization of war: Spartan

Phalanx

History of War

• War = State building and Empires: Persia and Rome

• Ethnic, Religious and National Identities have been significant rhetorical/ideological drivers of war: Islam, Christianity, China

• Long Distance Trade: Major stimulus for War

• Later, New World European Expansion/Conquest led to further wars

History of War

• Modern world: Increased imbalance in technological advantages between Europeans and conquered regions

• Imbalance: ‘Whatever happens we have got the Maxim gun and they have not’.

Global Dimensions of War

• Extreme dimensions of conflict: caused Genocide

• Global Dimensions of Destructive Force = • Nuclear Weapons/Cold War

Modern War

• New Acronyms for a new destructive age:• MAD: Mutually Assured Destruction• WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction• End of the Cold War:• LICs (Low Intensity Conflict) proliferate:

Intrastate conflicts far outnumber inter-state conflicts.

• For deaths from wars see: http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstats.htm

Current Conflicts

• Go to: http://www.hiik.de/en/main.htm, look at the current conflict barometer. What is happening with conflicts today?

Conflict Barometerhttp://www.hiik.de/en/konfliktbarometer/pdf/ConflictBarometer_2007.pdf

Greed or Grievance?

• Grievances? :• -Self-determination• -religious, political, ethnic identity• -‘Ethnic Cleansing/Genocide• But is this enough to explain tensions?• -Why do some apparently opposed groups live

harmoniously while others do not?• Other Factors?:• -Wealth disparities• -economic insecurity• -unemployment and lack of opportunity• - Displacement/IDPs

Greed or Grievance

• Other Factors?:• -Wealth disparities• -economic insecurity• -unemployment and lack of opportunity• - Displacement/Internally Displaced Persons• -Predominance of one ethnic or religious group

(85%)• -Weak states

Resource drivers

• GREED?:• Conflict and resources; how are they linked?• Go to the global policy forum or the UN web site

on conflict diamonds and consider how resources and weak states play a role in conflict today

• http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/docs/minindx.htm• http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html

Terrorism

• Origins with the modern state vs. citizens/opposition

• Battle of Algiers• Definition?: Asymmetrical violence against

non-combatants• -Fear as a weapon, disruption to lives• -New Threats: chemical, biological, dirty-

bombs• -Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?

The Ways and Means

• Economic Causes and Links?

• -Revenue for rebel groups becomes the raison d’etre or driving force

• Instability = Profits for some TNCs

• Rising Resource Based conflicts:

• Oil, Coltan, Drugs, Diamonds

• Private Military Corporations = War for Profit: eg. Haliburton

The impact of war

• Not as much as health and poverty, yet still profound

• Combatants and Non-Combatants are equal• Abject levels of inhumanity• Dead, wounded or maimed, Refugees, women

and children/orphans• Youth soldiers• -Land mines• Arms Trade and profits. Small arms and

landmines particularly devastating • -Environmental impact?

Landmines and civilians