War and Conflict Flashcards
war
•can be defined differently spending on no. of deaths, period, cause of death, for the purpose of control
•have been around 35-50 wars going on at one time in recent years
•since cold war except us invasion of iraq and afghanistan - most have been conventional wars of history between 2 or more states for possession of territory - states have lost monopoly on military violence w most of todays wars being civil wars and occur in poor developing countries
what does kaldor state
•calls the civil wars in poor developing countries ‘new wars’
•argues that although they are localised, they involve global ‘shadow’ economies and global networks e.g. the arms trade, drugs - results of gl. and to some extent a reaction against it
old wars
•total wars - mobilisation of men and resources on large scale
•furthering was on battlefields between armies - since ww2 civilians have been targets more
•wars justified by appeals to patriotism/democracy
•mass production of weapons
new wars
•often civil wars, often based on ethnic differences
•battles are avoided, mainly guerrilla warfare, civilians targeted and terrorised leading to increased no. of refugees
•now a globalised war econ. - armed groups may raise money by control of oil and other resources or by ransoming hostages
•leaders often influenced by globalised culture
why do neo-malthusians believe so many civil wars occur in poor countries
•uncontrolled population growth and environmental scarcity as main factors
what does ayoob argue
•civil wars are a part of a process of creating modern states - medieval and early modern europe experienced similar wars w warlords often controlling smaller areas and constantly shifting borders and alliances
•this view, related to mt, civil wars will become less common as countries begin to modernise
•peace will come as a result of trade and democracy
how does dt view civil wars
•views them in a global context and looks at external factors
•duffield sees new wars in the context of gl. which has increased inequalities and excluded many in developing countries from its benefits
•at same time, trad. ways of life and earning a livelihood has been disrupted and states have less control
what factors contribute to civil wars
•relative poverty worsening - some groups within countries not benefitting from gl. and develop.
•weak state institutions - state ceases to be able to provide social goods e.g. security
•presence of unem. men who see no future for themselves
•changes in terms of trade
•presence of valuable resources - can be goals in themselves it used to by arms
civil wars
•tend to be marked by shocking brutality - sierra leone, chopping limbs off of citizens
•most casualties in civil wars are civilians - due bs reduced access to food and healthcare, difficult to calculate how many have died
•ppl flee from home areas bcs of fear and so wars create refugees - some will join armed group as survival option making war worse
who are the main victims of civil wars
•women and children but both are increasingly involved in fighting too
•war destroys families and leaves widows/ers and orphaned children
•child soldiers are visible new feature of some recent wars
intervention in civil wars
wars often lead to intervention - maybe by neighbouring countries but is more likely to be multilateral intervention (un or regional grouping e.g. african union)
is intervention successful
•can succeed in imposing a ceasefire but this may give combatants time to regroup and rearm
•end of fighting not the end of the problem unless underlying causes of war removed, fighting likely to resume
•more than half of civil wars restart within 10 years
what is the purpose of intervention
•to stop the killing - but may not he most desirable outcome - quick end to war may bring dictator to power w great loss of life and little progress to follow
•may be better for there to be long war to defend a pop. elected gov then to allow gov to be overthrown quickly
what does luttwak argue
•luttwak - better to let wars run their course bcs they will eventually end w a resolution of political conflict a peace, intervention prevents two ways of wars ‘naturally’ coming to an end
effects of war on development
•war expensive, absorbing money they could be used for develop.
•war destroys infrastructure that makes dev. possible e.g schools and hospitals
•human cost of war can be enormous - communities often destroyed, ppl left wounded
•enviro costs can be v high including damage by bombs and other arms could cause harm to enviro and may take years to recover - may be direct result if explosions as well as due to release of poisons into air
