Key Issue #2 (part 2), Key Issue #3

Political Conflict can be caused by a variety of forces.

Trends that weaken a state:1. Globalization of economy, transnational

corporations– intrudes on the sovereignty of a state to control its economic affairs

2. Proliferation of international institutions– a group, such as the UN, disapproves of government actions and involves itself (economically or militarily) in a country

3. Emergence of NGOs (non-governmental organizations)– private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development (World Bank definition)

4. International migration- Without strict border control, a state has little say over the influences that can arrive with migration from neighboring or foreign states

5. Increase in nationalist and separatist movements- Nations within states agitate for greater independence from the federal government, or even an altogether separate state

6. Boundaries- States with conflicting ethnicities, governments, or trade barriers

Kurds live in Iraq, Eastern Turkey, Iran, Syria Have been persecuted as a minority in each of these states

(especially in Iraq under the command of Saddam Hussein

http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/special/photo/salgado/kurds.jpg

Stateless nation: people without their own state

• Have waged a guerrilla war against Turkey since 1984.• A few days after Iraq was defeated in 1991, the Kurds launched another unsuccessful rebellion there.

Conflict in Multi-National States A multinational state contains two or more

nationalities with traditions of self-determination. …Cyprus: Unfriendly Division of an Island Cyprus, the 3rd largest island in the

Mediterranean, contains two nationalities: Greek and Turkish. It is closer to Turkey, but 78% of the people are Greek.

-Cyprus has never peacefully integrated the Greek and Turkish nationalities.

- After a coup by Greeks in 1974, Turkey invaded the island to protect the Turkish population. Even though “normalcy” was restored, the Turkish army remained.

- After the coup, the two nationalities became geographically isolated. A buffer state/boundary patrolled by U.N. soldiers stretches across the island with only one crossing point today.

Cyprus

…Africa: A continent of multi-national states plagued by conflict

o Most African states were created by outside influence (Europe)

• Colonialism disrupted and disconnected African peoples from their political and economic institutions.  •The state structures and boundaries created by colonial powers and post-colonial leaders bore little resemblance to those that preceded colonialism. 

•The states and their leaders were therefore illegitimate. Consequently, corrupt African leaders have been forced to bolster their power through ineffective policies. This has caused mass amounts of internal conflict in almost every sub-Saharan African state. (i.e. Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Nigerian, Sudan)Englebert, Pierre. State Legitimacy and Development in Africa. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2000.

With a partner

Share:- The major

“players” in the conflict

- The roots of the conflict

- The role of geography

International political organizations Today, globalization has caused

greater need for cooperation between states.

At the same time, when a state joins an international organization, it must give up some of its sovereignty

Examples: UN, WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, IMF, EU, NATO

POLITICAL AND MILITARY COOPERATION

oCurrently the most prominent international organization… created at the end of WWII by the Allies.

• Originally comprised of 49 states, but membership is now at 192. Taiwan, the Vatican City, and Kosovo are the only non-members. Taiwan resigned its membership in 1971 when China was admitted to the UN.

•The number of members increased rapidly in 1955 (mostly European countries liberated form the Nazis), 1960 (all but one a former African colony of Britain or France), in the early 1990’s (due to the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia).

The United Nations (UN)

During the Cold War (late 1940s until early 1990s), most states joined the United Nations, as well as regional organizations. The

international and regional organizations were established primarily to prevent a third world war in the 20th century and to protect countries from a foreign attack.

It replaced the ineffective League of Nations, established after WWI.

UN members can vote to establish a peacekeeping force and request states to contribute military forces. UN forces have completed 47 peacekeeping missions and are currently deployed on 16 missions.

They were once involved in a major war in Korea (1951-53) against communism. The UN serves as a forum where, for the first time in history, all the countries

of the world can meet and vote on issues without resorting to war.

Former (light blue) and current (dark blue) UN peacekeeping missions

UN Peacekeepers from Spain

Regional Military Alliances

**During the Cold War, the US and the USSR were the world’s only two superpowers compared to 8 major powers before WWI.

Most of these original powers were battered by the two wars and only the US and USSR remained. When a large number of states ranked as great powers of approximate equal strength, no state could dominate. This is called balance of power. The balance of power shifted to two states and their allies following WWII.

After WWII, most states joined one of two military alliances… the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Warsaw Pact.

NATO consisted of the US, Canada, and 14 European states. The Warsaw Pact consisted of the communist states of

Eastern Europe.

Soviet Union = red

Warsaw Pact = blue

Soviet Sponsor = green

The alliances were designed to maintain a balance of power in Europe and to serve as a buffer between the US and USSR.

The Warsaw Pact is now disbanded and NATO’s role has been extremely limited. NATO still offers European states, the US, and Canada security against Russia, even though it is a small threat. NATO is engaged

against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan today.

NATO assignments in Afghanistan

M.A.D.

The Cold War era was shaped by a policy of M.A.D., or “Mutually Assured Destruction.” Both sides thought that nuclear war was a real possibility.There were several “hot” wars during the “cold” war in

places like Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan over communist vs. democratic ideals.

ECONOMIC COOPERATION

The era of two superpowers is over now and the world has returned to the pattern of individual powerful nations, which existed before the WWII.

There are two key differences today, compared to pre-WWII:1. The most important

element of state power has become economic rather than military.

2. The leading superpower today is not a single state, like the US, but an economic union of European States.

European Union With the decline of

military-oriented alliances, European states increasingly have turned to economic cooperation. Western Europe’s most important economic organization is the European Union, formerly known as the European Economic Community. It was established in

1958 and included six countries. Belgium, France, Western Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands

Today, the EU includes 27 states. They use their own monetary system (the Euro), they have removed barriers to free trade, and elect a Parliament which serves to oversee the member states.

This phenomenon is called supranationalism, which is a method of decision-making in multi-national political communities, wherein power is transferred to an authority independent of national governments Because of this cooperation, Western Europe has

turned into one of the wealthiest markets in the world.