PSC 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Mobutu Sese Seko, Wince, American Revolution
Document Summary
Explaining civil wars: weak states: ineffective institutions leaders often lack legitimacy and authority, competition over who should control the state is in place, ex- drc (democratic republic of congo) Independence 1960: violent separatist movement in the south, corrupt and brutal mobutu until 1997, 5 million dead in civil war- bloodiest wince wwii. International context- attitudes of foreign countries can exacerbate state weakness. If they don"t, they will get abducted and force to fight. Often associated with a type of cultural grievance: religious conflict: not affiliated with poverty. Perpetrators often are not poor: not only muslims, hard targets- wealthier, stronger states with accessible terrain, soft targets- weak and vulnerable states. In terms of opportunities that make genocide more likely, ethnic divisions in the context of an ongoing war must be present, and the international community must be either unable or unwilling to step in.
