International Relations

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International Relations

• Week 24
• Cultural Determinants of Security
• Clash of Civilisations

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Seminar content

• Huntingtons Clash of Civilisations
• Examine the Rwanda genocide so see what this
  might tell us about the Huntington model

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Huntington Clash of Civilisations

• Original article now made famous especially in
  wake of Sept. 11th 2001
• The fundamental source of conflict in this new
  world will not be primarily ideological or
  primarily economic. The great divisions among
  humankind and the dominating source of conflict
  will be cultural.
• The clash of civilizations will dominate global
  politics. The fault lines between civilizations
  will be the battle lines of the future.

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Civilisations

• they are the highest cultural grouping of people
  and the broadest level of cultural identity.
  Civilisations may thus be defined both by common
  objective elements, such as language, history,
  religion, customs, institutions, and by the
  subjective self-identification of people.
• Identifies 7/8 civilisations
• Western (European, North American)
• Confucian (China and most of SE Asia)
• Japanese (Shinto, Buddhist, Confucian)
• Islamic (Arab, Turkic, Malay)
• Hindu,
• Slavic-Orthodox,
• Latin American
• possibly African civilization

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Why will civilisations clash? -1

• Differences not only real but basic
• Differentiations based on history, language,
  culture, tradition and, most importantly,
  religion.
• Products of centuries will not easily disappear
• World becoming smaller
• More intense contact
• More aware of differences (and similarities?)
• Economic social change separating people from
  old identities
• Will weaken state identities religion often
  moves in to fill the gap

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Why will civilisations clash -2

• Civilisational-consciousness enhanced
• West at peak of its power
• Elsewhere, perhaps as a result of this a return
  to roots
• Cultural characteristics/differences less mutable
  than political economic ones
• Economic regionalism growing
• Intra-bloc trade growing
• regional blocs more important in future?

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Conflict not only civilisational

• Several crucial states will be torn by tensions
• Mexico (Latin American and Western)
• Former Yugoslavia (Western, Islamic, and
  Slavic-Orthodox)
• South Africa (Western and African)
• Kashmir (Islamic and Hindu)
• Turkey (Islamic and Western)
• Russia (Slavic-Orthodox and Western).

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Criticisms of Huntington

• Fault lines are not civilisational but state
  based.
• Civilisations are not-monolithic. There are
  dividing lines within many of the civilisations
  themselves.
• Cultural differences are socially constructed.
  Is that true?
• Conflict inevitable?
• Despite criticisms reminds us that cultural
  differences are important

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Civilization and modern conflicts

• Former Yugoslavia
• Former USSR - Chechnya, Tajikistan, Georgia
  Armenia Azerbaijan
• Afghanistan
• Rwanda
• Somalia/Horn of Africa/Sudan
• Sierra Leone
• Liberia
• Iraq
• Israel (Palestine)
• Rwanda
• DRC - Burundi, Uganda - Great Lakes
• Kashmir
• Indonesia (Separatist Movements)
• Sri Lanka
• Columbia (FARC)

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Common features of recent wars?

• Shared features
• Religious differences
• Linguistic differences- rarely defining
• Economic differences
• Ideological differences
• Tribal differences
• Territorial
• Secession/autonomy
• Multi-factoral
• Intra-state

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Rwanda

• 1993 Arusha Accords, creation of UNAMIR
• April 1994 Presidents aircraft shot down
• 2 strands to conflict
• Civil war between the RPF (Tutzi) and Government
  forces (Hutu).
• Inter-tribal violence - between Hutu and Tutzi.

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UNAMIR

• Traditional Chapter VI operation -observe and
  monitor, some cantonment and demobilisation
  activities, assist in creation of new armed
  forces
• Authorised strength of 2,217 troops, some
  civilian staff plus 60 CIVPOL. Commanded by Gen
  Dallaire
• 450 Belgian troops (best equipped), some ill
  equipped Bangladeshi soldiers. In March 1994 the
  contingent brought up to strength by Ghanaian
  contingent.
• ROE vague

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Rwanda Tragedy

• Mired in UN bureaucratic politics
• 20th April Boutros Ghali told the Security
  Council that there were essentially 3 options
• Withdrawal of UNIMIR
• Scaling down for cease fire mediation
• Massive reinforcement and a much more aggressive
  mandate.
• SC divided. Merely agreed to reducing the force
  to 270 with an even more restricted mandate.

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Operation Turquoise

• French motivations unclear
• Given Chapter VII all possible means mandate.
• Committed only to 60 day presence until a new
  UNAMIR force to be constituted.
• French force of 2,500 (500 African troops)
• Stretched re-supply capabilities for the duration
  of the mission.
• In reality French force was not strong enough to
  properly fulfil the objectives
• The French operation was pretty cautious.

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Assessment

• UNAMIR under resourced from start
• None of the parties seemed committed to Arusha
  Accords.
• UNAMIR1 operations within mandate reasonably
  successful until agreement smashed.
• Operation Tourqouise, questionable motives, did
  see stability begin to return
• Handover to UNAMIR II was reasonably successful
  and went smoothly enough.

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Conclusion

• Huntington that tries to explain culture as a
  source of conflict
• An account of Rwanda that says whilst culture may
  be significant it is rarely the sole determinant