An Analysis of Conflicts around the World

Saberi Roy

If we try to provide an analysis of conflicts around the world, two patterns emerge. One relates to ethnicity, and the other relates to religion. Religion still forms the basis of major conflicts worldwide as in Israel-Palestine, although in case of India-Pakistan and Russia-Chechnya, the religious roots of such conflicts tend to have a close association with Islamic separatism. A clash of religious ideologies seems to be a common factor in such conflicts. But even if these ‘inter-religious’ conflicts have worldwide impact, ‘intra-religious’ conflicts as was seen in Northern Ireland or even Iraq can seriously question any analysis of conflicts that stresses on only religion per se. Is religion the ‘only’ basis of such conflicts in the world? Or is religion a tool to satisfy political motives? The fact that struggles ‘within religions’ can be sufficient to cause civil wars, undermine the explanation that a clash of different religious ideologies would be sufficient to cause ‘culture conflicts’. Religion is just an excuse and the best and most effective excuse. Religion seems to serve as a prop and a justification for most wars around the world and is even used to justify terrorism for that matter. Intra-religious and inter-religious conflicts as well as separatism/terrorism are all broadly ‘religious feuds’.

However, ethnicity also remains a distinct issue as in the troubled regions of Burma and Sudan. The Burmese military government has driven out and tortured ethnic minorities as the Sudanese military and Janjaweed militia have attacked the non-Baggara civilians and in both these regions the human rights situations have deteriorated considerably in the last few years leading to major humanitarian crises. Religion and ethnicity are used for political gains and this is particularly disturbing as the main goal of religions has been to focus on harmony of universe and uniformity in creation. Religion seems to no longer serve its original purpose of providing peace and harmony to mankind and is primarily used to justify conflicts and is actually the root of all major wars around the world. But yet, religion is not the cause of conflicts but a political excuse to begin differences.

The history of all major conflicts and wars will probably suggest several explanations for these conflicts and religion will be one of these. The Israel-Palestine conflict although over land, of course has deeper roots and represents a broad Jewish-Arab dispute and just like the Hindu-Muslim struggle for Kashmir, has been going on for more than 50 years now but there are some fundamental differences. Although a two state solution has been accepted in the India-Pakistan case, (Kashmir remains a glaring political issue), this never seems to have worked smoothly for the Middle East. It may be necessary to question whether this is because the Israel-Palestine conflict represents a larger Jewish-Arab dispute and the whole of the Middle East is involved directly or indirectly in the conflict or is it because the international community has focused too much attention on this dispute so it’s now a case of a perpetual conflict almost kept alive by the media and of course, the political leaders themselves and there is no quick solution to this broad religious struggle. Maybe media attention should be reduced and political leaders have to compromise or religions will have to evolve towards a focus on the need for a more unified human faith.

It is hoped however that Iraq will not be a perpetual conflict as well, as Iraq is primarily plagued by intra-religious rather than inter-religious conflicts and does not involve the active concerns of the entire Middle East except maybe Iran, Syria and Jordan. Whereas Israel-Palestine is a matter of a broad religious struggle, Iraq is about smaller differences. Possibly, the Sunnis-Shias will have to reach a kind of ‘Belfast agreement’ and Human Rights and Equality Commissions will have to be set up in Iraq to bring peace to the region again. In Burma, only proper democracy can improve the human rights situation and more international focus and pressure would be necessary to make the military government give in to the needs and demands of the people of Burma. Driving out ethnic minorities is not the procedure for running a country that the Burmese military seems to be doing. The Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan is clearly a matter of terrorism and Kashmir is a hub of terrorists, any major crackdown on international terror groups can also have an impact on Kashmir. Although beyond the realm of this discussion, terrorist groups need a place, a breeding ground and Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya and now Iraq are their favored locations. Separatist attempts in Chechnya are similar to the Kashmir conflict and the Chechen separatists have also been accused of terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism. In Darfur, as in case of Burma, more international pressure will have to be exercised and although the Arab-African feud is at the basis of the tensions in Sudan, ethnic rather than religious differences are defining factors here and only international pressure for mutual agreement could bring more peace in the region.

Ethnic problems could thus be considered more widespread yet can be solved with international pressure, negotiations and agreements between rebel groups and political leaders of troubled regions with a greater emphasis on democracy and this would be mainly applicable in case of Sudan and Burma.

Religious feuds and separatism as in Chechnya and Kashmir have links with international terror although brutal bombing and raids in these regions, as done by Russian forces for instance, are not solutions to problems and can only worsen the plight of innocent civilians. Global terror has to be tackled systematically by possibly an international organization like the UN or a new organization will have to be established focused specifically on global terrorism.

Intra-religious conflicts as in Iraq could be solved with an agreement between the Sunnis and Shias and an example is the Northern Ireland peace process.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is however a broad and perpetual religious struggle as it involves the entire Middle East, deep religious sentiments and there is no quick solution to this issue, unless media attention is reduced, political leaders of the entire Middle East strive to sort out the Jewish-Arab religious and political differences or unless there is a complete change in our understanding of the religious systems of the world.

Although terrorism, separatism and religious differences may be the common factors of all these problems, the solutions to these problems will have to be different considering whether these disputes are ‘primarily’ inter-religious, intra-religious, separatist/terrorist related or ethnic.

First published in Global Politician.

Copyright: Saberi Roy, 2007