Thesis (MA) -- Stellenbosch University, 2006. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The nature of conflict in Africa has changed from the Cold War to the post-cold War
era. This is evident in the internal and external factors and actors involved within the
conflict dynamics. During the Cold War era politics and the quest for control of the
state formed the basis for conflicts in Africa, from anti-colonial wars of independence
and liberation struggles to secessionist attempts. In the post-Cold War era with the
loss of external superpower support, this has changed with the growing significance
of identity politics, and conflicts based on the differences of ethnicity, religion and the
quest for the control of resources and land, characterised by extreme violence and the
rise of actors other than the state, within failed and collapsed states. These conflicts
have thus presented challenges to the United Nations (UN) in relation to its traditional
means of maintaining international peace and security, and the internal dynamics of
the decision-making processes, political will and accompanying resources and
financial factors within the organisation. The challenges faced by the UN in Africa
therefore lie not only within the nature of conflict and the nature of the African state
but also within the internal constraints inherent within the organisation itself. The
conflicts in Mozambique and Rwanda respectively represent how the nature of
conflict has changed in Africa from the Cold War to the post-Cold War era and both
illustrate the challenges the UN has faced in light of the changing nature of African
conflict. While Mozambique offers an example of a typical Cold War conflict, based
on the quest for control of the state and exacerbated by superpower support, Rwanda
represents an example of a typical post-Cold War internal conflict based on identity
politics and extreme violence manifest as genocide. By comparing and contrasting
these two conflicts, and the subsequent involvement of UN peace maintenance
operations in these conflicts, this thesis offers a comparative study of "old" and "new"
wars in Africa in order that a better understanding of the nature of conflict in Africa
can be reached and to illustrate the challenges faced by the UN in light of this
changing nature of conflict. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aard van konflik in Afrika het vanaf die tydperk van die Koue Oorlog tot die na-Koue
Oorlog tydperk aansienlik verander. Dit is in die innerlike en uiterlike faktore
en akteurs wat by die konflik betrokke is waarneembaar. Gedurende die Koue Oorlog
tydperk was interstaatlike konflik 'n hoofkenmerk. Dit was ook die fase van antikoloniale
oorloë wat dikwels met eksterne steun geveg is. In die na-Koue Oorlog
tydperk met die verlies van uiterlike supermoondheid ondersteuning, het interne
konflik binne swak state dikwels oor die beheer van skaars hulpbronne, of oor
identiteit en griewe gegaan. Die konflik het uitdagings aan die Verenigde Nasies (VN)
gestel wie se vredesregime kwalik vir rebelle en kindersoldate voorsiening gemaak
het. Dit het ook eise gestel aan die politieke wilskrag van lede van die Veiligheidsraad
om in dergelike konflikte betrokke te raak. Die uitdaging vir die VN in Afrika lê dus
nie net in die aard van konflik en die aard van die staat in Afrika wat verander het nie,
maar ook in nuwe eise vir vrede. Die twee gevallestudies van die konflik in
Mosambiek en Rwanda demonstreer hoe hierdie aard van konflik verander het, en hoe
moeilik dit is om vrede te maak waar akteurs (rolspelers) kwalik binne konvensionele
raamwerke hanteer kan word. Waar Mosambiek 'n voorbeeld van 'n tipiese Koue
Oorlogse konflik was - stryd vir die beheer oor die staat en aangevuur deur
supermoonhede, is Ruanda weer 'n meer eietydse voorbeeld van 'n tipiese na-Koue
Oorlogse interne konflik, gebaseer op identiteitspolitiek wat met ekstreme geweld en
volksmoord gepaard gegaan het. Hierdie tesis bied 'n vergelykende studie van sulke
"ou" en "nuwe" oorloë in Afrika en bied moontlik 'n beter begrip van die aard en
oplossing van sulke konflikte wat by uitstek nuwe uitdagings aan die tradisionele
opvattings van die VN stel.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/50649 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Weldon, Catherine Leigh |
| Contributors | Breytenbach, W. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 139 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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