Name: ____________________________
Period: ____
‘International Case Studies – conflicts Rubenstein Ch 6 & 7
Description of conflict – what is at issue in the conflict? Why are
they fighting?
Religion vs Government Policies Pg 207-208
Taliban vs Western
Taliban wants political control of Afghanistan under Theocratic
Values (social change)
Muslim Rule. They are resisting years and years of Western
Control/Influence first by the French and British then the USSR &
Muslim Fundamentalism currently the USA
Nationalist Group vs.
globalized Western Ideas
Hinduism vs Social
Hindus want to maintain the traditions of Caste system and are
equality (social change)
resisting the Laws prohibiting Discrimination Based on Caste
Hindu Indians vs.
Democratic govt. change
in th India
Name of conflict + Who
is at conflict
Eastern orthodox and
Islam vs Soviet Union
(communism vs religion)
FORMER USSR
communist Govt. vs.
Religious groups
Communism does not support Religion or religious freedom. In the
USSR religion was not ILLEGAL but it was extremely suppressed
govt policies. Many religious groups went “underground”
Buddhism vs SE Asian
countries (communism vs
religion)
Religious groups vs.
Communist govt
supported by USSR &
their policies & other
govt
So Vietnamese govt suppressed Buddhism in support of
Catholicism. After Vietnam unified under a Communist regime the
Communist govt sought to suppress all religion. Buddhist groups
(monks) have and continue to protest (some extremely by setting
themselves on fire)
Christians vs Muslims
European Christians (E.
Orthodox & Catholic) vs.
Arab Muslim expansion
Jews vs Muslims
0
Religious Wars in Ireland
Irish Nationalist
Catholics vs. British
Protestants
Religion vs Religion pg 208-212
During the 7th c. Muslims diffused across N. Africa & into Europe
Including taking Jerusalem. Christianity resisted the diffusion.
During the 11-13th c. the Christians waged holy war (the Crusades)
against the Muslims to regain the Jerusalem. The Christian were not
able to win but Islam’s diffusion stopped at E. Europe
UN created a Jewish State in 1947 along with plan for a Palestinian
State. The Palestinians and their Muslim neighbors objected the
creation of the State of Israel and Conflict has existed in the area
ever since
British colonized Ireland in 11th c. taking over and dominating the
Irish. UK became Protestant in the 16th c increasing resistance
betwn the groups. Irish Catholics resisting foreign and religious
domination by British Protestants. UK gave Ireland independence in
1921 but retained control of the Northern region due to its high
Protestant-British population (feared violence would break out)
Ireland continues to protest for complete unification of Ireland.
Name: ____________________________
Period: ____
Ethnic Conflicts- pg 240
Division by Race in
South Africa
White minority govt vs.
Black discriminated
against majority
Azeris
Azerbaijanis vs. foreign
rule by the Turks,
Persians, Armenians &
Russian
Armenians
Armenians who
converted to Chrisianity
in 300s vs. Muslim
Turks. Later divided
between USSR &
Turkey. And currently
Azerbaijan
Apartheid system imposed a system of LEGAL segregation on the
black majority population of So. Africa. Whites controlled the
political, social and economic systems. Denied Black the right to
vote, equal education, employment & impose physical segregation
on them. It ended in 1992, but bad feelings between the groups
persists
Turmoil in the Caucasus pg 235
After being controlled by the USSR until 1991 Southern Azeri
territory became indepent. 7 million Azeris live there (91% of Pop)
but 16 million live in NW Iran still (24% of that population) Iran
resist some aspects of their culture (lang) but does allow their
participation in the govt. This arrangement means that Azerbaijan is
a good example of a fragmented state – with the Western part of the
country separated form the rest of Azerbaijan by a 25mile corridor
belonging to Armenia
Armenians in & around the Caucasus Region. Christian since 303,
lived in small Turkish area until 20c when many were killed in an
attempt at genocide organized by the Turks. After WWI, Armenia
became an independent state but was taken over by Turkey and the
USSR who divided it up in 1921. USSR side became independent
with the fall of the USSR in 1991, Armenians=98% of the
population. Since 1988 Armenia & Azeri’s have been fighing over a
boundary of about 2000sqmiles within Azerbaijan that is inhabited
by Armenians.
Abkhazians fought for indep. And would like to control the NW
portion making it into a Nation-State. The Ossetians want South
Ossetia transferred from Georgia to Russian control & united with
North Ossetians under Russian control
Geogians
Extremely multi ethnic
with 84% minorities.
Extreme unrest exists
btwn the Ossetians &
Abkhazians.
Ethnic Competition in the Horn of Africa pg 237
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Italy colonized Eritrea. Ethiopia was independent until Italy took
Ethiopian govt who
them over during WWII. When the war ended, the UN awarded to
control Eritrea vs.
Ethiopia. UN expected Ethiopia to allow for self rul but Ethiopia
Eritrean rebels who want took over and Eritrea rebelled 1961-1991. Many Eritrean’s refugeed
self rule
to Sudan. Eritrean rebels defeat Ethiopia in 1991, but a new war
started in 1998 over the location of the border. Eritrea has major
ethnic groups and 2 religions w/ only 5 million people, but they
share a strong sense of Nationalism due to the wars with Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is also multi-national with Muslims and Christians but the
ruling group (Amhara) suppress the cultures of the rest
Sudan
Civil war raged since 1980s btwn 2 ethnicities as the black
Arab Muslims &
southerners resist attempt by the North to convert the country form
Black Christians vs
multi ethnic to on nationality tied to Muslim traditions.
animist rebels in the So
In Western area (Darfur) black Africans launched a rebellion in
2003, Arab nomads crushed it in the name of the Northern Islamic
Name: ____________________________
Period: ____
govt.
Somalia
Clans have split and achieved various alliances in order to fight for
6 major ethnic groups
dominance. Islamist militias took control of the clan chaos and the
(clans) fighting for
country in 2003 by overthrowing the warlords. Clans continue to
dominance
fight for control.
Dividing Ethnicities Among More Than One State pg 240-242
Kurds
Kurdish ethnic grp is distributed across 3 states. They are Sunni&
Kurdish people vs.
speak an Iranian language with other cultural distinctions as well.
Turkey & Iraq
They had an indep. Nation-state during the 1920s but today former
Kurdistan is part of Turkey & the pop is split over 3 states. Turks
suppress Kurdish culture. Iraq gassed them in an attempt at
Genocide
South Asia – discuss
India’s Independence lead to a partitioning of the region by the
Pakistan, India and Sri
British who had controlled it. They were attempting to avoid
Lanka
violence btwn the Hindu majority and Muslim minority groups in
Indian Muslims vs.
India. The Muslims feared discrimination as they were only 20% of
Indian Hindus = Indians
the Indian Population to the 80% of the Hindus. Despite partitioning
vs. Pakistanis.
into 3 countries, violence ensued and continues intermittently.
Buddhists Sinhalese vs.
Sri Lanka. Fighting started in 1983 btwn these grps over a 2000 yr
Hindu Tamils
old conflict, suppressed for 300yrs by the colonizing British. After
Britain left the old ethnic problems resurfaces & rebellion eventually
broke out
Ethnic Cleansing – define: Genocide by one ethnic group to another. A process in which
more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an
ethnically homogeneous region. The point is not simple to dominate but to eradicate.
Breaking up of
Yugoslavia
Multiple ethnic groups
Communist leader Tito died in 1980 and Yugoslavia broke up into
factions as old ethnic rivalries re emerged. Areas & ethnic groups
began to break away and for independent states. Ethnicities fought
to define boundaries to their advantage
Bosnia
Part of the former Yugoslavia & part of the breakup. Bosnian
Bosnian Muslims, vs
Muslims had been considered a ethnicity not a Nationality & did not
Bosnian Serbs Croatians have any specified area for themselves even though they were 48%
(Muslim)
and the majority group in Bonsia & Herzegovia. Serbs & Croats
united to eliminate the Bosnian Muslims in an effort to unify the
area to of their people in Serbia & Croatia. They were generally
successful & received > ½ of the country, Croats got ¼.
Kosovo
Serbia historically claimed Kosovo province in the past, but most
Ethnic Albanians (90% of Serbs had by now left the area. When Yugoslavia broke up Serbia
pop) vs. Serbians
took control of the area and began to ethnically cleanse the Albanian
majority there. By 1999 more 1/3 of the Albanians had died or fled.
NATO intervened & took control over the region
Balkanization (define)
Used to describe the small geographic area that could not be
AKA: shatter belt
organized into a stable state or states b/c of the long standing
antagonisms of the many ethnicities toward each other. Now it is
used to refer to the process by which a state breaks down through
conflicts among its ethnicities
Name: ____________________________
Period: ____
Ethnic Cleansing in Africa pg 243-248
Rwanda
Colonial powers exploited the differences btwn these ethnic groups
2 ethnic groups
in order to control them by giving Tutsi’s privledges over the
Hutu & Tutsis
majority Hutus. Just before independence Hutus ethnically cleansed
Tutsis out of fear they would seize control. Later in 1994, Tutsis
living in neighboring countries flooded into Rwanda to seize the
opportunity of their dead president. 3million Hutus were killed 7
million fled.
Burundi
As Hutus and Tutsis fled into nearby countries Burundi was pulled
Hutu & Tusis
into the Ethnic cleansing conflict
Congo (Zaire)
The Hutu/Tutsi conflict bled into Congo as refugees fled. Tutsis
were instrumental in overthrowing the very unpopular & corrupt
Congolese president Mobutu, 1997, & replacing him with Kabila.
He allowed them to continue killing Hutus. Later, they later went
against when they took over the eastern half of Congo. Violence
continues
Write one paragraph synthesizing how religion, ethnicity and politics can cause conflict.