Conflicts Flashcards
What causes conflict?
Identity Ethnicity Culture Resources, including Territory Ideology
Outline Identity
(nationalism, regonalism, localism) the threat of losing ones identity or the wish to impose ones identity on others can both lead to conflict.
Outline Ethnicity
relates specifically to conflicts of racial supremacy or genocide, where one group sees themselves as he superior, like the Hutus the Tutsis in Rwanda
Outline Culture
cultural differences can breed conflict, such as separatist debates between the UK government, the Scottish parliament and welsh assembly
Outline Resources, Including Territory
resources are often a point of contention between nations and groups. resources are necessity for them both, including ownership of Falkland islands’ oil
Outline Ideology
one of the most frequent causes of conflict between and within nations, conflict between democracy and communism in the cold war
What are the four main scales of conflict?
International, National, Regional and Local
Outline a international conflict
where two or more countries are involved in a dispute
Outline a national conflict
where conflict occurs within a country
Outline a regional conflict
where conflict occurs within a small area of a country, or across a geographical region e.g. the Basque Separatists
Outline a local conflict
small scale conflict in one particular area, for example, arguments over a proposed wind farm being built or fracking
What are the expressions of peaceful conflict?
Protests Boycotts Legal action Discussion Petitions Diplomatic activity
Examples of conflict resolution
Negotiation
Mediation
Diplomacy
Discussion
Debate
Use of agencies such as the United Nations
The planning process – for local conflicts
What are expressions of violent conflict?
War, terrorism (the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes)
Insurrection (A violent uprising against an authority or government: “opposition to the new regime led to armed insurrection“ e.g. Syrian insurgents against Assad government).
Economic migrant
someone who leaves their country of origin to find work or better employment opportunities in another country
Refugee
someone who is forced to leave their home region or country, for example, because of war, persecution or natural disaster
Asylum seeker
a person who has left their home country as a political refugee and is seeking asylum in another.
Illegal immigrant
someone who has entered a country without permission or stays beyond the permission granted by their visa
Reasons for development of multicultural societies
- 1946, work shortages in Europe and labour shortages in Britain
- 1972, refugees form Uganda
- post apartheid, over 100,000 from south Africa
- 2004 + following EU enlargement 600,000 people have moved to the UK to find work
- illegal immigration (Africans)
Housing issues (multiculturalism)
- initial immigrants tend to concentrate areas of poor housing and multi-occupancy is common
- lower rates of owner-occupancy
- more wealthy or subsequent generations of immigrants have moved to the suburbs
- geographical segregation often apparent
What is separatism?
A move by a minority group or a region of a country towards greater independence from the country it is a part of
Reasons for separatism
- An area which is economically depressed compared with a wealthier area
- Collapse of a state that was holding political power and therefore, regions together. For example, former Yugoslavia or the former USSR
- A minority religious, language or culture which drives the desire to be autonomous.
Consequences of separatism
- Civil war, terrorist violence, civil disobedience.
- The growth of separate political parties and devolved power
- The protection of a language through the media and education
- the establishment and maintenance of societies and norms with clear separate cultural identities within a country.
Basque Separatism
- Northern Spain/Southern France want autonomous
- Basque National Party pushed for independence since 1895
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Rooted in dispute over land claimed by Jews as their biblical birthright and by the Palestinians, there is no peace settlement in sight.
Social impacts of Israeli and Palestinian conflict
- restrictions on women freedom by Hamas
- poverty, malnutrition, unemployment
- residents of Gaza hurt by white homophones used by the Israeli arming burning the victims skins
- damaged homes by shelling
injuries caused by the Israeli army - lack of medical facilities
- 300,000 dead (6 day war), 950,000 total
- 10,000 Palestinians fled from Jewish invasion to other Arab countries
Economic impacts of Israeli and Palestinian conflict
- Israel has spent $12 billion on the wars between 1989-2010
- Palestinians banned from working in Israel, limited numbers of jobs in Gaza and west bank
- many services can run by outside agencies (UN)
- underground tunnels used to smuggles in goods and guns
- only $60 million of Gaza $540 million budget is generated inside of Gaza, the rest from outside donors
- 80% live in poverty and 35% unemployed
Environmental impacts of Israeli and Palestinian conflict
- contamination of drinking water
- shortages of food production
- limited access to the sea by the Israeli army
- using new fish pond to raise fish for market
- struggling to remove sewage and other waste material, leading to spread of disease
- destruction of banks of Suez canal due to Egypt’s attacks with high pressure hoses
What is the Brandt line?
An invisible line across spiting the right north from the poor south, between the economically developed and industrialised countries and those that are less economically developed
How is poverty measured? Economic indicators
- GNP per capita
- GDP per capita
How is poverty measured? demographic and social indicators
- Birth/Death rate
- Infant mortality rate
- Adult literacy
- % of urban population
- number of people per doctor
How is poverty measured? Composite quality of life indicators
- Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI), summaries infant mortality, life expectancy and literacy
- Human Development Index (HDI) measures life expectancy, educational attainment and GDP per capita
Causes of poverty
- natural hazards
- unfair trade
- corrupt government
- war and conflict
- historical factors such as colonisation
- low level of income, contributes to low level nutrition and health
- reduction levels, low level of school enrolment
- low levels of economic diversification
Addressing poverty on a global scale
- Millennium Development Goals, adopted by all 191 UN member states
- setting out to deal with global security, environmental issues, human rights and poverty
Millennium Development Goals
1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2) achieve universal primary education
3) promote gender equality and empower women
4) reduce child mortality
5) improve maternal health
6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7) ensure environmental sustainability
8) develop global partnership for development
The Spanish Civil War
- the war broke out when fascist rebels loyal to general Francisco Franco took up arms against Spains socialist government. (Most Basque supported the government)
- As a fascist, Franco believed in the unity of the state and considered separatist movements treasonous
- he allowed German War planes to bomb Basque cities, including Guernica on April 26th 1937
Formation of ETA
- Franco won the war and the Basques continues their fight for autonomy
- in the 1950s pro independence Basque students sought to counter Franco’s new power by farming Euskadi Ta Askatasuna
- starting in 1968, ETA murdered security forces, politicians academics and journalists unsympathetic to their cause
- other civilians were sometimes killed by ETA bombs
The end of violence?
- ETA remained active until the stat of the new millennium when several al-Ga’ida terrorists attacks (Spain 2004)
- Basques and other Spaniards joined calls for ETA to end
Local conflict: Heathrow airport
- Heathrow airport is used by 90 airlines
- they fly to 170 destinations worldwide
- Heathrow currently serves 67 million passengers a year
- The airport has 5 passengers terminals and a cargo terminal
What are the plans for Heathrow airport?
- A new 7,200ft runway allowing the annual number of take-offs and landings increasing by 240,000 in 2030
- A new terminal to handle 35 million passengers a year
- A new tunnel for the A4 to pass under taxiways between the airport and the new runway
- The M4 slip road to the airport would have to be relocated
Positives of a third runway
- construction woud provide up to 60,000 jobs
- operating the expanding heathrow would create up to 8000 new jobs
- It would support the economic growth of the UK
- the British chambers of commerce estimates the economic benefits are £20 billion for the UK economy during 2020-2080
- Heathrow runways currently operate at 99% capacity, additional runway would reduce waiting times
Negatives of a third runway
- increased CO2 emissions from the additional flights would contribute to global warming
- the World Development Movement has claimed that the runway would emit the same amount of CO2 per year as whole of Kenya
- destruction of nearby communities: 400 homes and Heathrow school demolished, noise pollution
