Peace and Conflict
Peace
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 77-79 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Academic Unmana Sarangi believes that “positive peace” tends to grow in an environment of “negative peace.” In other words, states in conflict and war, or oppressive states, tend to see negative economic growth, while the absence of violence corresponds highly to economic growth, availability of housing, medical care, and development of social institutions and products that serve areas related to positive peace."
"There is no peace in the Middle East because there is no effective peace process. This isn’t because the Palestinians and Israelis do not know how to make peace. They do. The Good Friday agreement which brought peace to Northern Ireland a quarter of a century ago, provided a clear guide. They have to do what the negotiating teams, of which I was a part, did in Northern Ireland. The problem is Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his ally, the United States of America, who have failed to apply the lessons of Northern Ireland to Middle East peacemaking."
"Positive Peace opposes what is known as the 'structures and cultures of violence'. These structures and cultures can cause people to behave violently, or impose violence on others. This definition has since increased in popularity, and is now widely used by academics and politicians alike. But in order to fully understand the idea of Positive Peace and its implementation, we need to understand the history of Positive Peace."
Theories of Peacekeeping
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 79-81 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"How can spiritual peacefulness be expressed in the stormy world of political-economics? What kinds of systemic social changes are needed for us to live as peaceful spiritual beings? How can contemporary political-economics be reframed by ancient spiritual traditions? The concept of peace is central to such questions. ‘Peace’ is core to all spiritual traditions; but it is also indispensable in international relations and in reconceiving democracy and economic justice. It also is central to personal relationships. ‘Peace’ is potentially a bridge from the spiritual to the relational to the political-economic. The global human family needs political-economic translations of spiritually and ethically attuned understandings of what it means to be human. Spirituality needs structural social expression. Peace must be central to this endeavor. Peace cannot be fully a condition of the soul unless it is also a condition of the society in which we live."
Case Study: Analysis on American Hegemony
"Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard, describes this uniquely Trumpian grand strategy as “predatory hegemony” in a new essay in Foreign Affairs. The central aim of predatory hegemony, Walt writes, “is to use Washington’s privileged position to extract concessions, tribute, and displays of deference from both allies and adversaries, pursuing short-term gains in what it sees as a purely zero-sum world.” Walt argues that this approach may appear to yield immediate wins, but that over time it will erode the real sources of American power, leaving the United States “poorer, less secure, and less influential.'"
"Fareed hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS, is a columnist for The Washington Post and the author of “In Defense of a Liberal Education” and “The Post-American World.” Fareed Zakaria GPS is an international and domestic affairs program on that airs Sundays on CNN/U.S. and around the world on CNN International. The forum is a television destination for global newsmakers, U.S. politicians, CEOs, and thought-leading authors and journalists."
Conflict
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 82-84 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Traditionally, the term "international conflict" referred to conflicts between different nation-states and conflicts between people and organizations in different nation-states. Increasingly, however, it also applies to inter-group conflicts within one country when one group is fighting for independence or increased social, political, or economic power (e.g., Sudan/South Sudan, Iraq (now that the US has largely left), and Syria."
"As is the case with every relationship, governments sometimes conflict. When this happens, they may require the help of a third-party mediator to steer the conflict toward a peaceful resolution. Governments and political groups the world over are becoming more accepting of mediation, due to its capability of providing greater benefits than going to war."
Violence
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 85-86 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Originally coined in 1969, the term structural violence refers to a form of violence where one or several social structures or institutions harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. The structures in question include social, economic, and political systems that create disadvantages and risks for certain populations."
"Early on, peace studies focused exclusively on direct violence, particularly warfare. One of Johan Galtung's many gifts to peace studies is the concept of indirect or structural violence, enabling us to make meaningful comparisons between direct and indirect violence, and also enabling us to study the linkages between them. This essay explores the idea of structural violence and illustrates it through reflection on the conditions of children worldwide."
"Racism is a complex issue deeply rooted in both individual beliefs and societal structures. This article explores the psychological aspects of racism, examining how it manifests in personal attitudes and systemic practices. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing and combating racism effectively."
Case Study: Northern Ireland
Case Study: Bosnia-Herzegovina
Non-Violence
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 86-89 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
Interactions of Political Stakeholders
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 90-91 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Police Scotland has grown into an organisation known to be compassionate, values based, and highly competent. It is well regarded nationally, extremely well regarded internationally, but I know it can improve, must improve.
Institutional racism, sexism and institutional discrimination have become iconic terms in the vital battle to tackle injustice. Police officers and staff, including police leaders, can be conflicted both in acknowledging their existence and in using such terms, fearing it would unfairly condemn dedicated and honourable colleagues or that it means no progress has been made since the 1990s."
Case Study: Israel and Palestine
"The mandates for Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine were assigned by the Supreme Court of the League of Nations at its San Remo meeting in April 1920. Negotiations between Great Britain and the United States with regard to the Palestine mandate were successfully concluded in May 1922, and approved by the Council of the League of Nations in July 1922. The mandates for Palestine and Syria came into force simultaneously on September 29, 1922. In this document, the League of Nations recognized the "historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine" and the "grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country."
One of the biggest challenges to understand this conflict is language used. Click the links below to come to a better understanding of the words used to discuss the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Understanding the Terms
"During the hundred years of new Jewish settlement in Palestine, whose starting point is conventionally assigned to 1882 (and commonly called "the First Aliya"),1 a society was produced whose nature and structure proved to be highly fluid. The periodic influx of relatively large
groups of immigrants continually disrupted or disturbed the apparent ad hoc stability of the community insofar as its structure, demo-
graphic consistency, and salient characteristics were concerned. Each new wave resulted in a restructuring of the whole system. It is, how-
ever, commonly accepted that around the time of the establishment of the State of Israel, in 1948, a relatively crystallized Jewish society
existed in Palestine with a specific cultural character and a high level of self-awareness, as well as established social, economic, and political
institutions."
Conflict Mapping
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 91-92 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
Adapted from Working with Conflict: Skills and Strategies for Action, Simon Fisher, 2000
Non-State Actors, Violent and Non-Violent
The corresponding reading can be found on page 93 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
Effectiveness of Violent, Non-Violent Protest
The corresponding reading can be found on page 94-95 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Implicit in recent scholarly debates about the efficacy of methods of warfare is the assumption that the most effective means of waging political struggle entails violence.1 Among political scientists, the prevailing view is that opposition movements select violent methods because such means are more effective than nonviolent strategies at achieving policy goals.2 Despite these assumptions, from 2000 to 2006 organized civilian populations successfully employed nonviolent methods including boycotts, strikes, protests, and organized noncooperation to challenge entrenched power and exact political concessions in Serbia (2000), Madagascar (2002), Georgia (2003) and Ukraine (2004–05), Lebanon (2005), and Nepal (2006). The success of these nonviolent campaigns—especially in light of the enduring violent insurgencies occurring in some of the same countries—begs systematic investigation."
"Terrorism" may well be the most important word in the political vocabulary these days. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent worldwide to bring this particular form of violent political crime or illicit mode of waging conflict under control while people die every day from acts of terrorism. Nevertheless, some people do not seem to bother to define terrorism nor do they consider it worthwhile defining the concept. But surely, when governments ask young men and women to fight a "war on terrorism," the soldiers, policemen and other first line responders are entitled to a proper answer to the question of what exactly they are supposed to fight in the "Global War on Terrorism'".
"By themselves, rulers cannot collect taxes, enforce repressive laws and regulations, keep trains running on time, prepare national budgets, direct traffic, manage ports, print money, repair roads, train the police and army, issue postage stamps or even milk a cow. People provide these services to the ruler though a variety of organizations and institutions. If peoples top providing these skills and services, the ruler can not rule. Once we understand that this is the nature of political power in society, we must understand how power is exercised. The people are the main holders of power in society, but they are much more effective at exercising that power when they work together in the form of organizations or institutions, such as the police, civil servants, labor groups, business groups, etc. Some of these organizations may support your opponent, and others may support your movement."
Paramilitaries
The corresponding reading can be found on page 94-95 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
Identity and Conflict
The corresponding reading can be found on page 96-98 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Identity is largely concerned with the question: “Who are you?” What does it mean to be who you are? Identity relates to our basic values that dictate the choices we make (e.g., relationships, career). These choices reflect who we are and what we value. For example, we can assume that the investment banker values money, while the college professor values education and helping students."
Humanitarian Intervention
The corresponding reading can be found on page 96-98 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Exactly a decade ago, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a military intervention in Yemen, promising to lead a coalition of more than 10 nations—although some would later end their participation—against the Houthi armed group, officially known as Ansar Allah, that had taken over power from President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Backed by the United States, Britain, and other Western states with arms and shared intelligence, on March 26, 2015, the Saudi coalition commenced airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas, initiating a conflict that would drag on for years. Riyadh’s initial expectation of a swift, six-week military operation to defeat the Houthis became a prolonged and costly entanglement that has tested Saudi Arabia’s ability to impose its will on its neighbor and to force the Houthis to give up their control over a large part of Yemen."
"Since 2014, Houthi rebels have fought a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government, a conflict that quieted under a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. The Iran-backed group subsequently launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in protest of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, drawing U.S. military retaliation and deepening Yemen’s entanglement in regional conflict. Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia’s Abha Airport in July 2026 now threaten to reignite the civil war."
Migrant Communities
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 98-99 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"There is growing evidence supporting the association between migration and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Considering the growing population of migrants and the particularities of providing culturally sensitive mental health care for these persons, clinicians should be kept up to date with the latest information regarding this topic. The objective of this study was to critically review the literature regarding migration, trauma and PTSD, and mental health services."
"For people who move to the US, no two experiences will be the same. However, many migrants and refugees face or have faced trauma, whether in their home country, while traveling, or after arriving in their host country. One study suggested that almost half (47%) of migrants experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while another found that around one-third of adolescents (29%) and parents (34%) experienced trauma during the migration process."
"In the wake of multiple legal challenges, the Biden Administration late last month aimed to fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a new rule that would shield more than 600,000 undocumented people brought to the U.S. by their parents. While proponents of the program welcomed the move and heralded it an “effort to bulletproof the DACA program,” our response in this moment overlooks a fundamental problem: each challenge on immigration—whether the Muslim Ban, family separation, or challenging DACA—takes a toll on refugee and migrants through vicarious trauma and weathering, regardless of the outcome."
"A former telecommunications student in Switzerland is now training in warehouse logistics. He’s not alone. During my research with 29 refugees and 23 street-level bureaucrats in the Canton of Vaud, I encountered many such cases. These trajectories are not driven by a lack of talent, but by a systemic dynamic I call the “low ambition equilibrium” – a state where both institutional actors and refugees tacitly converge on modest, short-term goals, often at the expense of long-term aspirations and social mobility"
Genocide
The corresponding reading can be found on page 100 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"The top court of the United Nations has opened a landmark case accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against its mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. Myanmar’s military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, The Gambia’s Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Monday."
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) is an instrument of international law that codified for the first time the crime of genocide. Its preamble recognizes that “at all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity” and that international cooperation is required to “liberate humankind from such an odious scourge”.
Intersectionality
The corresponding reading can be found on page 101 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"The proverb familiarity breeds contempt contains considerably less than a half-truth. While we sometimes dodo become bored with our daily routine of living and with some of our customary companions, yet the very values that sustain our lives depend for their force upon their familiarity. What is more, what is familiar tends to become a value. We come to like the style of cooking, the customs, the people, we have grown up with."
"Twenty-eight years ago, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” in a paper as a way to help explain the oppression of African-American women. Crenshaw’s then somewhat academic term is now at the forefront of national conversations about racial justice, identity politics, and policing—and over the years has helped shape legal discussions. A leading thinker and scholar in the field of critical race theory, Crenshaw, a professor at Columbia Law School, directs the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies and is a co-founder of the African American Policy Forum, a think tank, both based on campus."
Conflict Dynamics
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 103-105 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"The conflict analysis model proposed by Johan Galtung in 1969 includes both symmetric and asymmetric conflicts. In the author’s opinion, a conflict can be viewed as a triangle whose sides are represented by A (attitude), B (behaviors) and C (contradictions)."
Causes of Conflict
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 106-109 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
"Twenty-five years ago this month, all hell broke loose in my country, which is tucked away in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Hordes of members of the Hutu ethnic majority, armed with machetes, spears, nail-studded clubs, and other rudimentary weapons, moved house to house in villages, hunting for Tutsis, the second largest of Rwanda’s three ethnic groups. The radio station RTLM, allied with leaders of the government, had been inciting Hutus against the Tutsi minority, repeatedly describing the latter as inyenzi, or “cockroaches,” and as inzoka, or “snakes.” The station, unfortunately, had many listeners."
"WITH THE DEATH OF DICTATOR Josip Broz Tito in 1980 and the crisis of European communism beginning a half-decade later, Yugoslavia — a "country" assembled after World War I from pieces of the former Austro-Hungary, Turkish possessions "liberated" in 1912-13, and the former monarchies of Serbia and Montenegro — came face to face with all the fault lines of the former states. As Yugoslavia broke violently into pieces in the 1990s, the first explanation on the lips of most commentators was this: "ancient hatreds," a phrase that quickly became a cliché."
Types of Conflict
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 109-110 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
Types of Conflict
The corresponding reading can be found on pages 109-110 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
Genocide
The corresponding reading can be found on page 100 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
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Genocide
The corresponding reading can be found on page 100 of Mooij, C., Dhesi, E., & Nusseibeh, A. (2024). Global politics course companion. Oxford Resources for IB Diploma Programme.
a