Post Cold War Africa Inter State Conflict - Research Paper Example

?Running head: POST COLD WAR AFRICA INTER CONFLICT History and Political Science, Research Paper Insert Insert Insert Instructor’s Name 03 October 2012 Nearly 20 African countries, majority in sub-Saharan African, have experienced post-cold war intrastate wars wrongly attributed to tribal tensions1. The cold war witnessed ideological and geo-territorial struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union, which contributed to stability and peace in Africa because of their political and economic presence in the continent. The absence of ideological and geo-territorial struggles between major powers in the African continent brought to fore major socioeconomic and political problems, which have sparked many civil conflicts2. The African continent has witnessed great disparities between the rich and the poor. Unemployment and social insecurities make it easy for any powerful individual to breed hatred and start intrastate wars. Despite this, there has been a progressive global decline in political violence since the end of the cold war probably due to the increased emphasis on peacekeeping and peace building activities3. Africa is a potentially volatile continent with a couple of unstable governments. The Berlin conference opened up the continent for division amongst major western powers who created artificial boundaries without considering the existent traditional modes of government. To consolidate their power, the colonialists destroyed the cultural and traditional symbols of power, but the large expanse of the African continent became ungovernable because of limited human and capital resources4. The divide and rule policy employed to control Africans sowed seeds of bitterness and discontent, which continue to cause major intrastate conflicts. Despite imposing the western culture and way of life on Africans, western colonialists did not empower Africans with the right quality of education, culture, and economic infrastructure for effective governance and stability5. After independence, most African countries lacked effective systems of governance, economic independence, and were left without direction. Africans lacked self-direction because they had been equipped with useless skills. They could not rebuild the traditional power structures nor institute economic and social development essential for stability. Artificial boundaries crammed diverse ethnic people with different traditional values, practices, and cultures together. The social strife experiences and lack of national economic opportunities deprived majority of Africans the bond of nationalism present in developed countries of the world6. A glaring example is countries colonized by the British who have failed to develop strong national identities, cultural integrity, and social cohesion essential for national stability and progress7. Majority of the African leaders who ascended to power after Africa got independence were unequipped and unsuitable for leadership. This has continued to date with majority of them being overly ambitious and corrupt. The absence of effective independent social and political institutions of governance has made political leaders too powerful, often exploiting their authority to amass assets for their own financial gain. Because of their past crimes, these leaders go to great lengths to remain in power at the expense of their people. In the past, they used single party leadership oppressing many citizens. Corrupt and inefficient regimes contributed to development of intrastate wars with many unnecessary deaths, pain, and suffering8. After independence, most African states created strong state police departments and military forces. Corrupt leaders and regimes illegally use these forces to consolidate their power through ruthless crackdown of any opposition9. Sustained oppression, lack of civil freedoms, and poor economic growth lead to instability due to gross violations of basic human rights10. Many African state police and military police do not uphold basic human rights for their people and this has created discontent leading to popular uprisings and wars. Despite bringing civilization to Africa, the western powers had a larger hegemony power strategy that prepared Africa for their own economic good. They introduced exotic plants and animals into the African continent to supply their industries with raw materials. Introduction of large-scale cash crops and animal ranches made the African continent lose most of its native cash crops, which were adapted to the wide climatic variations of the continent11. The native foods were able to supply Africans with abundant and nutritional foods throughout the seasons. The introduction of new crops and animals led to displacement of Africans from their traditional habitats, leading to loss of livelihood and food insecurity12. Due to large-scale displacement of the African people during colonial periods, land has been a major issue causing intrastate wars in Africa. Africans predominately depend on agriculture for subsistence and hence without arable land there is wide-spread food insecurity. Ethnic communities fight to get access to their communal and traditional lands with various attachments. Some of these lands hold key cultural and traditional components of the tribes. They seek to regain control of their ancestral lands. However, the advent of independence saw their lands being divided and redistributed to other communities. The struggle for this land causes many intrastate wars. Key examples of wars primarily caused by struggle for control of land include Kenyan wars, which place the Kikuyu against other communities. After independence, President Kenyatta favored the Kikuyu in the redistribution of land especially in the rift valley and coast provinces13. With the onset of new governments, wealth disparities and access to health and education fermented tribal animosities that are displayed every election year causing significant loss of lives and property14. To remain functional, new African governments had to embrace commercial cash crop farming and mineral mining to get revenue to control their newly created countries. The new activities, coupled with inefficient systems and corruption, exposed African continent to the already skewed international markets and trade imbalances making them unable to meet the needs and requirement of their people. Lack of development, infrastructure, education, and social problems increased social problems and disorganization. Without their traditions, values and cultures, Africans embraced Darwinism that favored the people and communities in power. Darwinism is directly responsible for major conflicts in the continent including the Rwandan genocide. This is because it gave some communities more power leading to the oppression of other tribal entities. Reminiscent of the Belgium colonial legacy Tutsis were more powerful than Hutus due to their superior physical characteristics, according to Darwinism principles. Because of this legacy, the two ethnic tribes violently clashed leaving over a million people dead with many more maimed, abused, and deprived of their humanity. The Congo-Brazzaville is also predominantly embroiled in never ending tribal clashes with major tribal groups having their own militias for security. In retrospect, however, greedy politicians who benefit financially from the wars promote these intrastate wars. Widespread poverty, lack of education opportunities and development has made young people join the wars for economic gain. To change the situation, the economy of African countries embroiled in violent conflicts need to change. This will empower the people and they can coexist peacefully. Unequal access to social amenities, health, and economic activities will always create discontent leading to development of conflicts, which can become violent. South Africa has enjoyed great economic growth and prosperity and it is the most developed country in the African continent. Its government has laid down strategic plans to invest in other African countries and has initiated regional cooperation institutions in the sub-Saharan Africa making some African states jittery15. South African multinational companies exploited the global economic liberalization to invest and exploit business opportunities in Africa16. Despite reservations in some quarters, several African leaders feel it is the continent’s economic hope17. The push for political economic dominance in Africa was bolstered by the South African reserve bank decision to ease capital controls in 2002. This has enabled the South African government pursue peace and stability through negotiated settlements in Congo, Burundi, and Zimbabwe and in some instances it has provided peacekeeping troops in some intrastate conflicts18. South Africa needs to promote its political agenda in Africa carefully without raising anti-imperialist discourse from African leaders and the Africa population. Several intrastate wars in Africa are caused by the presence of natural resources. The involved groups seek control of diamond mines and oil rich regions19. In some instances, they cause the formation of rebel groups who get finances from operation of mines and other natural resources. In Angola, revenues from petroleum deposits finance major rebel factions20. Sierra Leone intrastate wars are financed by diamonds smuggled out by insurgent groups. The easily harvested diamonds saw the country lose a lot of revenue from the illegal exports. The demand for diamonds made the rebel groups able to sustain a war against the government and the people of Sierra Leone. The government’s inability to regulate the diamond trade saw the development of the Kimberley process to weaken the rebel’s financial sources. Poor governance leads to low infrastructural development, economic development, education, and health status. Some African governments lack the resources and the labor to effectively administrate their boundaries. Without effective control and governance, insurgents and rebel groups are able to establish themselves; sometimes with local support21. This rebel groups often destabilize the governments by attacking other communities for resources. Without protection from the government, tribal outfits often develop to protect their communities, which lead to prolonged civil conflicts. Kenya and Uganda has experienced this form of civil conflict. The Karamajong in Uganda and Pokot of Kenya, both pastoralists, continually fight over grazing lands and cattle22. Despite cattle rustling being embedded in their culture, effective administration and governance by the Kenya and Ugandan governments can prevent these wars. The full extent of the damages suffered by these communities remains unknown, as the areas are not easily accessible. Conclusion The world is moving towards the right direction in promoting transparency and accountability for all leaders in the world. Despite the noble efforts made by these countries, the root causes of intrastate wars need to be solved through aggressive action in the African continent. The former colonial nations need to address the problems they created in Africa through aggressive economic development initiatives. They should develop mechanisms to promote fair trade throughout the world as the current trade policies and regulations favor developed countries. The ban on illegal trade on natural resources should be reinforced with possible and severe penalties being imposed on multinational companies and individuals dealing in them. Poor governance by African leaders causes majority of civil conflicts. This should be addressed through massive campaigns and information distribution throughout the continent to empower the people. Governments should prioritize education, health, and social services to spur economic development that will enable people make good decisions. However, the world needs to intervene in times of civil conflicts. The Rwandese genocide should never have happened and the world should not let another conflict degenerate into genocide. 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