International Dimensions of African Conflict - Essay Sample

Introduction

Africa is a continent undergoing sociopolitical maturity. The countries are experiencing social instability due to numerous political, social, or economic issues. In the past century, African countries have undergone various levels of sociopolitical and economic development. With influence from western powers, it has resulted in various social upheavals such as those demonstrated in Liberia (Beah, 2008). Liberia broke into civil war, and the actions were taken by both the government and rebels that stunned the world. The use of children as soldiers; stripped from their parents and communities, forced to indulge in drug use such as those explained by Ishmael Beah's memoir. Ishmael Beah offers his personal experience in the Liberian Civil war that spanned almost a decade (Beah, 2008). He describes the various heinous crimes he committed under the influence of drugs. Nonetheless, the narrative of Africa’s social and political unrest is elaborated as one of a growing continent.

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Various Upheavals

The various upheavals in Africa have always been a global issue as various developed countries attempt to settle the situation only to worsen it. The narratives addressed by actors such as Ishmael Beah represent one aspect of the problems facing Africa. The various countries attained independence and gained access to large sums of money and resources, resulting in various corruption levels (Beah, 2008). Due to financial support from developed countries, social injustices continued resulting in various forms of inequalities. The outcome is civil war when one side demands equality, which is provided by a corrupt government on most occasions. Most of the materials assessed addressing the dynamics of Africa’s international conflict, corruption, and various atrocities committed due to access to power and authority are stated as the common cause.

The notion of African nations being young political and social countries is further supported by Schmidt (2013). In her publication, “Foreign Intervention in Africa: From the Cold War to the War on Terror,” she offers an interdisciplinary approach to the various events in Africa. She exploits a new strategy in assessing Africa's issues, mainly from a foreign political and military perspective (Schmidt, 2013). The assessment includes various foreign governments meddling in Africa’s internal affairs from the decolonization period, the cold war, and the present day. A common issue addressed by the author is the high expectations of developed countries for African countries. It has resulted in various social developmental and political issues that have made the current situation in most of the continent complicated (Schmidt, 2013). Currently, the continent's western and eastern sections are facing issues of terrorism due to various historical issues caused by foreign meddling.

US Military's Presence

In the last chapter, Schmidt (2018) addresses the US military's growing presence in various regions of east Africa. She states that the notion of terrorism has replaced the 1950s and 60s war on communism. Terrorism has become the new motivator for American involvement in African and international affairs (Schmidt, 2018). The author offers rational arguments on the international community's actions and their effects on a growing economy and society. Schmidt (2018) states that the transition from authoritarian regimes to democratic rule in most African countries efficiently. However, for nations where the transitions were delayed, international interference resulted in conflict (Schmidt, 2018). The best example to demonstrate the issue is Liberia.

On the other hand, Steinberg & Abdullahi (2015), in their publication, “A man of good hope,” demonstrate the social effects of international influence in Africa. The book offers the tribulations and struggles faced by Asad Abdullahi (Steinberg & Abdullahi, 2015). When the Somalian civil war broke out in 1991, his mother was killed by the militia while his father was in hiding. Though different from those of Beah (2008), the narratives are similar in terms of humanitarian crises. Millions of Somali people became refugees in neighboring countries in sub-Sahara Africa (Steinberg & Abdullahi, 2015). Among them was Asad Abdullahi, an eight-year-old child; however, unlike Ishmael Beah, who became a child soldier, the war's atrocities left a lasting impression.

Though the book does not primarily focus on the conflict in Somalia, it focuses on the life of Asad Abdullahi as well as millions of other Africans. The narrative also includes the fundamental issues facing most African countries today, crime and poverty (Steinberg & Abdullahi, 2015). However, for Asad Abdullahi, his were problems compounded to include xenophobia, repression in Ethiopia, lethal racism in the townships, and migration. The narrative demonstrates the various issues facing the Africans due to policies imposed by foreign governments. Millions of Africans have suffered, but in the process, it has offered governments such as the US the needed opportunity to expand its military reach (Schmidt, 2018). The notion is supported by the qualitative assessment of African history by Schmidt (2013).

The information from the material assessed identifies various similarities; among them is that African countries are heavily influenced by western culture. Ishmael Beah’s narrative of how he escaped capture by enraged villagers using LL Cool J mixtapes offers satisfactory evidence (Beah, 2008). Similar correlations can be made when Asad Abdullahi’s narrative during his period in Nairobi's metropolitan streets is assessed. Finally, Schmidt (2013) stated that the US's need to expand its military influence has resulted in its involvement in various African internal affairs.

While the assessed works offer an appreciation of how contemporary international influence has sponsored various national conflicts in numerous countries in Africa, Mamdani (2002) assumes a different perspective. In his publication “When victims become killers,” the author focuses on the political, cultural, economic, and market-based identities that influenced the genocide. According to Mamdani (2002), political identities polarized the country through historical roots. It racialized the country’s main groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, resulting in what was deemed as a “cultural cleansing” (Mamdani, 2002). The book addresses the issues from a historical perspective and the period of colonialism.

Conclusion

Overall, the material identifies a common trend with the various forms of national conflict experienced. They are motivated by external interference. For example, the Rwandese genocide was assessed and discovered was due to colonial influence that resulted in the mass murder of the Tutsi tribe. The Liberian war where child soldiers were exploited was mostly funded by aid resources from international governments redirected to sponsor the war. Nonetheless, African countries are growing economies and societies; both contemporary and historical involvement in internal affairs by international elements has resulted in the continent’s current state. Schmidt (2018) states that international governments have imposed policies to respond to instability and assume the responsibility to protect democracy in Africa. The outcome has been various forms of conflict, and expansion of military presence further complicating the issue. Nevertheless, according to the material, the main contributor to national conflict in the content is international interference.

References

Beah, I. (2008). A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (1st ed.). Sarah Crichton Books;.Mamdani, M. (2002). When victims become killers. Princeton University Press.

Schmidt, E. (2013). Foreign intervention in Africa. Cambridge University Press.

Schmidt, E. (2018). Foreign intervention in Africa after the Cold War. Ohio University Press.

Steinberg, J., & Abdullahi, A. (2015). A man of good hope. Vintage Publishers.