Conflict in Africa

Aall, Pamela R

"Responding to violent conflict begins with a diagnosis of what the conflict is about -- the causes and triggers that transform a disagreement into an armed struggle. Behind the immediate reasons, however, there are often assumptions about the enabling conditions that underlie the conflict, and these assumptions provide the framework for the diagnosis. This paper reviews three of the assumptions that underlie the analysis of what conflicts are about as they relate to Africa. These assumptions are: that conflicts result from zero-sum power politics among contending leaders; they are due to state weakness and the failure of governments to provide basic services and security; or they result from sharply differing views of culture and society." -- From CIGI website.

economic development africa democratic republic of the congo aid government politics democracy angola violence canada civil war conflict management crisis management culture international development ethics ethnic conflict internal security legitimacy of governments national security peace-building philosophy political violence social conflict low income resilience political stability fragile states society kofi annan insurgency peacekeeping forces failed state failed states fen osler hampson front for liberation of mozambique hampson people’s movement for the liberation of angola intergroup relations mpla