Partition after Civil Wars - Research Paper Example

?The Holy Land Divided: Defending Partition as a solution to ethnic wars Research Question The has attempted to explore the question of whether the partition could result into the permanent solution for the ethnic conflicts and wars. By questioning the argument of maintaining multi-cultural and multi-ethnic communities, author has suggested that civil and ethnic conflicts make it difficult for the nations and States to rebuild the same type of society. As such partition can offer a viable alternative to avoid the future ethnic wars. Theoretical Argument The overall theoretical arguments are based on the assumption that it is often difficult to reconstruct a multi-ethnic society after the conflict between different ethnic groups in a given country. The resulting settlements of the issue after the bloody civil wars can often result into further bloodshed. Breakout of the State as a result of the ethnic issues therefore can put different ethnicities against each other and make the overall experiment worse because of the ease with which methods like ethnic cleansing can be adapted. What is also significant to understand that author has critically argued that in order to avoid ethnic civil wars, it is important that partition should be considered as one of the viable policy alternative. This argument is based on the assumptions that the ethnic conflicts have almost similar dynamics thus making it difficult to put back the multi-ethnic state in same state as before the war. Independent and Dependent Variables A closer analysis of the article would suggest that author has attempted to create link between the ethnic conflicts and civil wars with the partition. As such the dependent variable is the partition of the geographical areas whereas the achievement of peace and lack of conflict as a result of the ethnic conflict as an independent variable. Author therefore argued that by adapting partition as a viable policy alternative ethnic conflicts can be averted in societies which are plagued by the ethnic and multi-cultural violence and conflicts. Method of Analysis Author has adapted multiple methods of analysis by blending quantitative as well as qualitative analysis. Major method of analysis adapted by the author is case studies as well as the survey methodology. Case studies are often based upon an in-depth analysis of certain events, groups or individuals and as such can provide a comprehensive overview of subjects under review. Author has provided comprehensive details of the different ethnic conflicts which took place and the results of their settlement. Author has also used survey of the existing literature to present a theoretical analysis of the overall context of the ethnic conflicts and their solutions. Survey of existing literature also offers a valid theoretical platform based on which author can actually build the theoretical foundations for the research undertaken. By citing various examples from history author has actually been successful in providing a comprehensive overview of how the different negotiating settlements failed due to non-partition based solutions to the problem of ethnic conflicts. Conclusion This article is comprehensive in the sense that it has offered a very comprehensive overview of the historical accounts of the different ethical and cultural conflicts. The overall theoretical foundations are set to discuss various approaches forwarded to resolve the multi-ethnic conflicts and how they failed to achieve the desired results. Author has adapted case study approach under which an overview of the different conflicts and their settlements. The overall conclusion of the article is that the partition can be one of the feasible policy alternatives to solve the ethnic conflicts and avoid civil wars. Are you convinced? Why? Though partition can be one of the key policy alternatives however, to get an overall acceptability of the same may remain one of the key challenges to such policy alternatives. In case such as Palestine and Israel where a separate State has been created for both the parties however, the region still remains one of the most volatile regions in the world. Further the creation of Israel has not been accepted by Palestinian people or other Arab States and the overall probability of conflict still remain high. What is also significant to note that the author’s approach is based upon a historical analysis of the facts and the failure of the different settlements done in order to avoid the conflicts? Partition has been presented as a viable alternative to avoid such conflicts however; partition may not be the only solution to avoid the multi-ethnic conflicts in societies which are already divided on different lines. What is in line? Is partition a solution to civil war Research Question The underlying research questions discussed in this article are based upon the notion of whether Partition can actually result into permanent settlement for the civil wars and ethnic conflicts. Though the authors agree that partition can be a viable solution however, this may not provide a permanent solution to end civil wars because of different factors outlined in the article. Author therefore question that partition may not be long term solution because civil wars often recur and conflicts re-emerge again. Authors have further argued that the statistical weaknesses in the previous empirical studies and suggested that based on the quantitative analysis of the data, partition may not have a pacifying affect on the ethnically divided nations engaged in civil war. Theoretical Argument Authors provide the argument against the use of partition as a viable policy alternative to achieve the pacifying affect in a society which is in conflict based on the ethnic grounds. The authors argued that the conditions under which partition can provide any tangible results can be limited and therefore may not provide the desired results. What is also significant to note that the authors have outlined the different issues with the empirical studies conducted in the past and suggested that the empirical studies in favor of partitions may have their inherent limitations and therefore may not provide the correct results. Authors have further outlined that factors such as forced relocations increase the overall risks of the partition and may render it as ineffective policy option. Independent and Dependent Variables The dependent variable in this study is again the resulting peace and lack of conflict which may or may not be a direct result of the partition. Authors have kept partition as an independent variable and the ethnic and cultural conflicts and civil wars dependent variables which can be subdued if territorial partition is exercised as a policy option. Methods of Analysis This article has also been written by using a mix of qualitative as well as quantitative analysis techniques. What is critically more important about this article is that the authors have taken an approach wherein they have also discussed the inherent weaknesses of the different statistical techniques used in the previous empirical studies. Authors have taken the case study approach wherein past events have been surveyed in order to explore the dynamics behind their occurrence and how they were settled by the respective parties to the conflict. Further, authors have also used some statistical techniques such as regression and correlation analysis to evaluate the link between the post-partition state of affairs with the partition. The overall aim was to understand whether partition could actually result into peace after the conflict and civil war. Authors have also used coding as a method to code and define different events such as partition, civil war etc in a postwar scenario in order to measure the effects of same on the peace in the region as a result of the partition. Conclusion It has been argued in the article that peace is a nonlinear variable and does not occur in a predictable fashion. As such the recurrence of war after the conflicts is a real chance because of the differences which arise as a result of the changes which take place due to partition. The resulting hate and increasing gap between different groups arising as a result of the partition become so deep that the recurrence of civil war becomes a real possibility in the region. authors argue that the empirically there is no strong link which can suggest that the postwar stability can be achieved as a result of partition and it can only widen the gap between the different groups and make it difficult for them to reconcile their differences. Though authors agree that the empirically the question of whether partition can serve as a viable policy alternative to achieve peace is not settled but a closer analysis of facts would suggest that partition may not be a viable solution. Are you convinced? Why? Arguments presented in this article are convincing in the sense that they are backed up by empirical data. Authors have presented a set of well written arguments outlining different factors which can potentially derail the peace process and can effectively end the peace in the post partition era. Authors therefore have been able to present a very coherent set of arguments in terms of suggesting that partition may not be a viable solution to end the civil and ethnic conflicts in any given society. Read More