Get a clear, concise overview of key conflict and war concepts, including:
Conflict vs. War: Differences and examples.
Types of War: Total war, guerrilla warfare, proxy wars, religious and ethnic conflicts.
Causes of Conflict: Proximate vs. underlying causes.
Key Theories: Realism vs. Liberal...
Unit 4 : Conflict - Notes, Definitions and Information
The difference between a war and a conflict
Lesson 1:
Conflicts War
- When parties disagree or compete - A type of war
with each other over ideas, resources - There are some wars that are
or territory ignited/initiated by conflicts
- This can be violent or non-violent
Examples of War and Conflict
Total War
Total war is a strategy in which militaries use any means necessary to win, including those
considered morally or ethically wrong in the context of warfare.
- Total war is a war fought without limitations on targets or weapons.
- Ideological or religious conflicts are more likely to give rise to total war.
- Total wars have occurred throughout history and include the third Punic War, the
Mongol Invasions, the Crusades and the two World Wars.
Guerilla War
Guerrilla warfare is waged by civilians who are not members of a traditional military unit,
such as a nation’s standing army or police force. In many cases, guerrilla combatants are
fighting to overthrow or weaken a ruling government or regime.
- Guerrilla tactics are characterized by repeated surprise attacks and efforts to limit
movement of enemy troops.
- Guerrilla groups also use tactics of propaganda to recruit fighters and win the support
of local populations.
Proxy War
A proxy war occurs when a major power instigates or plays a major role in supporting and
directing a party to a conflict but does only a small portion of the actual fighting itself.
- Being involved in a proxy war can include aiding a country by giving them weapons,
money, or planning and assessment help.
- Examples of proxy wars are Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the
Soviet Afghanistan War
Religious Conflict
It is true that sometimes deeply held beliefs can lead to clashes, and there have been many
wars that were caused by disputes over religion and beliefs.
, - Religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in sixteenth- and
seventeenth-century Europe, the massacre of Muslims in Kosovo, and the continuing
conflicts between Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India.
- All religions have their accepted dogma, or articles of belief, that followers must
accept without question. This can lead to inflexibility and intolerance in the face of
other beliefs.
Ethnic Conflict
Ethnic conflict is a form of conflict in which the objectives of at least one party are defined in
ethnic terms. The conflict is usually not about ethnic differences themselves but over
political, economic, social, cultural, or territorial matters.
- Conflicts in the Balkans, Rwanda, Chechnya, Iraq, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and
Darfur, as well as in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, are among the
best-known and deadliest examples from the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
- Ethnic conflicts are often accompanied by gross human rights violations, such as
genocide and crimes against humanity, and by economic decline, state failure,
environmental problems, and refugee flows.
3 Characteristics of War
War is a conflict among political groups (in the past this was among states,
but now often involves non-state actors, such as ISIS)
War is organized
- think armies with hierarchies, ranks, discipline
- Conventional warfare is highly organized (but rarely takes place any
more)
War is distinguished by scale or magnitude
- It can be small, low-level, regional conflicts
- Or large-scale conflicts involving many states
Lesson 2:
Proximate and Underlying Causes
Proximate causes of conflict (also called immediate causes) are more recent causes that
change more quickly, that can accentuate structural causes and that lead to an escalation of
violent conflict.
Tip of the iceberg that focuses on the most recent finding in the conflict
Structural causes of conflict (also called root causes or underlying causes) are long-term or
systemic causes of violent conflict that have become built into the norms, structures and policies
of a society.
Very in depth analysis on conflicts that can focus on initiation, history and triggers
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