Federalism And Ethnic Conflict

“American federalism was the embodiment of political tolerance and decentralization of – the expression of the liberal conviction that society can manage itself and needs no central plan,” said Llewellyn H. Rockwell. Federalism is the most important principle because it helps build a better foundation for a better government while also creating a division of powers. In this essay, I will be explaining what federalism is, how this newer type of government ideal has been incorporated into the U.S. and the advantages and disadvantages of federalism in the U.S. government.

This work is focused on providing an analysis of Southern and Northern perspectives from a justifying point of view, in order to form an outline of the opposing sides' motives. Both parties were strongly driven by nationalism and had very different views and values, which they were compelled to protect throughout escalating disquiet and imminent violence.

The North and South were very diverse, this led to problems with sectionalism. They started to separate economically, socially, and politically. The North had an industrious society v.s. the South which was agriculturally built on slaves(Doc3). The North was also Democratic while the South was mostly Republican, also, the North believed in a strong federal government, and South believe in states rights. These problems in sectionalism led to the Civil War.

Regional differences in the United States have always existed and always will, but what makes the South the “different” one? The South's genesis was different from other regions, and it evolved relying heavily on agriculture. Southern history affects its citizens differently than other regions. Over the years, religion has risen as another factor which sets the Southern states apart from the rest. Changes have occurred over the years to bring the South closer to the other regions, but the South will always be different because of the region’s history.

In order for conflict to be resolved both sides must understand one another’s concerns and be willing to compromise, thus understanding is the first step to resolution. According to Varshney (2001), “promoting communication between members of different religious communities, civic networks often make neighborhood-level peace possible. Routine engagement allows people to come together and form organizations in times of tension” (p. 375). Additionally, the Varshney (2001) article states that if institutions are created that cater to the cultural, economic, and social needs of both sides then the support for peace in the community become strong. Getting people to try to see eye to eye and co-exist without conflict is a great solution to ethnic conflict. According to constructivists ethnicity and in turn ethnic conflict is what people make of it and that race can be made and erased. According to this idea, resolution can come from getting people to see ethnicity and ethnic conflict differently by promoting communication.

African Americans are heavily distributed in the Southeast portion of the United States. From Louisiana to Virginia, there are a lot of areas with 25% or above. The main reason for the concentration in the South is due to the slave trade of colonial times. African Slaves were brought over to work for the colonials. And most of the slaves were bought to assist cotton plantation owners, who live solely in the south due to the temperance of their crop. And once the slaves were freed, many of them stayed to farm as sharecroppers, and stayed in the south to make permanent homes. On a smaller scale, the only concentration of African Americans of 5%-24.9% in Minnesota is in the Minneapolis Area. This is because after slaves were freed, the United States went through an industrial revolution, and many workers

Theoretically significant to conflict is social identity theory. It allows “predictions to incorporate who is likely to perceive and act in group terms, to remain committed to the group in times of crisis” Turner (1999), Doosje & Ellemers, (1999). Bar-Tal stresses conflict exists when an incompatible goal exists between two groups. The question of when incompatibility sets become important in understanding the cause of inter-ethnic or communal conflicts for instance, even more importantly; conflict within ingroup. Inter-ethnic or communal conflict because within the scope of peacebuilding, that is the point where building peace thrives the most. There is an assumption that for peacebuilding to be

During the time of creating our nation's constitution, I will most likely support the anti-federalist. Anti-federalist didn’t hate federalism. They just wanted to improve some of the stuff that is weak at and make it better. They worked to guaranteed more state rights. They believe that the government held too much power due to so many leeways, therefore they argue for a clarification of the constitution to prevent any secret deals. Moreover, they believe that the bills of right should be in the constitution to guarantee people's right.

Separation of Powers and Federalism must be separated as people would seek their own advantage, the pursuit of self-interest left unchecked ,would lead some people to exploit others. By dividing power between the states and national government, one level of government can serve as a check to the other. This provides a “double security” to the rights of the people. Separation of Powers is key because its constitutional authority is shared by three branches of government, however checks and balances appraises the power on its authority. Federalism is key as its government authority shared by national and local governments, which is also checked.

Conflict between and within nations is proven by history to be expected, but the answer to which countries are at a higher risk for conflict depends on whom you are asking. The reading “Ethnicity, Insurgency and Civil War” by James D. Fearon and David D. Laitin, argues that the conditions that favour insurgency are better predictors of which countries are at risk for internal conflict. Determining which countries are at a higher risk depends on multiple logical factors for the perfect environment for rebellion to occur. These factors are based on the political, economic, and organization of the state in question. Fearon and Laitin dissect the formula for rebellion piece by piece over the course of the entire article. By the end it left me in

This paper elucidates the expensive nature and consequences that are associated with maintaining peace and harmony in particular within the borders of a country and to some extent with its neighbors. It is for this reason that most countries all over the world are united against all kinds of war. Peace therefore entails the absence of civil disturbance and the freedom to maintain the sovereignty status of a given country (Burdekin, 2000). A case in point involves the study of the American civil war that was fought between the Confederacy and the Union. Crucially, the paper explains why the Union was better prepared and well equipped for the lengthy war as opposed to the confederacy. The civil war left the nation undivided but eventually resolved the question whether all men were meant to enjoy equal rights to liberty irrespective of their color, background, race or religion among others. Furthermore, the factors that enabled the Union to eventually and ultimately prevail in the war have been highlighted. In addition, the paper also discusses the hygiene and health, sanitation conditions that affected both of the sides during the war.

In this day and age, we find ourselves at odds with our “identity” as we find that not only are we representing ourselves, but we also have ties to religion, sect, tribe, and family (Angrist). This shows that despite the cohesiveness and threads that attach us, it has the power to pull people, families, and in some cases countries apart. This conflict comes to a head when religion and ethnicity are interwoven. Hence when divisions occur, this can lead to violent wars that destroy trust between individuals. This can ingrain a sense of uneasiness and distrust that plagues people’s ideas and leaves a country divided. This is particularly evident in Lebanon. Ethnic and religious division led to the festering of feelings of marginalization and discrimination, which boiled over into the Lebanese civil war, a war that claimed the lives of 150,000 people (Szekely). The anger and frustration birthed from this to chaos, and conflict has in turn increased the division between ethnic and religious factions and led to the crumbling of Lebanese nationalism. This essay is specifically aimed at assessing the relationships between ethnic and religious divisions in Lebanon and explores how it contributed to the civil war. This is done by identifying and analyzing the main actors and makes an explanation of the historical divisions stemming from the National Pact, branching out to include the consequences of the civil war on the political structures and the identities of the

The United States is considered a melting pot because of the vast array of different cultures, ethnicities, and religious groups who all live within its borders. Other countries with fewer cultural differences have been torn apart by the conflicts that arise between these differing groups. It is believed by some that the United States has been able to avoid such ethical conflicts as have brought down other nations but looking at American history it is evident that this is not true. America's history is one of ethnic conflict because of religion, nationalistic, and particularly ethnic differences. The two centuries that the United States has existed has been a history of racial marginalization particularly against African Americans which culminated with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In the present, the United States likes to claim that as a nation, we are color blind but evidence exists to the contrary. The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) still exists, hate crimes are committed based on ethnicity, and stereotypes are perpetuated in order to minimize and ostracize. Despite these instances, the country has held strong largely because although these instances occur, they are not approved of by the government or those involved in criminal justice.

The author looks at the sources leading to survival or collapse of ethnofederal states, and is seeking to explore the casual mechanisms leading to instability of ethnofederal state by examining the factors leading ethnofederal states to disintegration or civil wars. Hale argues that ethnofederal states that have a core ethnic region (CER) are highly prone to collapse. He defines CER as “a single ethnic federal region that enjoys dramatic superiority in population” (Hale 166). Hale posits that the presence of CERs in ethnofederal states is likely to cause three main challenges. These include ‘dual

It is a belief that one’s own culture is superior to that of others. Due to this feeling, any element from another culture that is different with one’s own culture, is considered wrong, bad or even dangerous. Just like the feeling that people of Israel think about themselves that is they are the chosen people of Allah SWT.