Organizing Insurgency by Paul Staniland, introduces the question, “Do resources like diamonds, drugs, and state sponsors turn insurgent groups into thuggish people or do they help build a more disciplined organization?” The reason this question is asked is because in some cases it suggests that “resource wealth encourages the degeneration of armed groups into greed and criminality” and other evidence shows that “external sponsorship and criminal activity can help leaders build organizations in the face of state repression” (p.142). This question is being presented because with different insurgent groups like the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and the Hizbul Mujahidden, having very similar interactions with state sponsors, could have …show more content…
Within the article Staniland states “The Taliban’s ability to create and maintain both central and local institutions was facilitated by its access to an overlapping social base of Islamists linked to one another through camps and schools of western Pakistan while remaining embedded in local communities” (p.171). Within this passage, it explains that because of the basis of the Islamist religion, the insurgent group was able to spread throughout Pakistan making the Taliban stronger. Similarly to the Taliban, in having a strong basis, are the rebels of Darfur. Before the Darfur genocide occurred, the conflict originally began as an insurgency group against the government. Rebel groups drew from main African tribes of Darfur because they were being oppressed by governmental policies and were looking for a change. The goal of theses rebels was to assert the social, economic and political rights of all the people of Darfur; this goal was likely to resonate with the majority of the population, making the insurgency stronger. Just like the Taliban, the rebels in Darfur had a goal in mind that represented a basis that resonated with the majority of the population making them stronger and explaining why they were such a threat to the government. Subsequently, the basis of the insurgency also has something to do with the effects resources, such as diamonds,
Taliban was an Islamic Fundamental Political movement in Afghanistan. While they had the power of Afghanistan they had imposed strict laws which were called the Islamic laws.Taliban mostly consisted of Afghan tribal men. Soon after that Al Qaeda set of to support them. Saudi Arabia supported them financially, but Taliban use that wealth to wipe out the afghan civilians.
The Taliban are a part of history and people should be aware of who they are and what they do. The Taliban has evolved over the years and unfortunately have grown stronger over the years. They started off as a group of students and it is sad to know that these students who could have started with a good future ended up being a part of a terrorist group. They think they are doing right because they may read the Quran but they only focus on the words and passages they want to hear and say to defend their terrorist group without reading the passage or verse fully and trying to understand the real words of Allah. The Taliban have been around for a long time and as a result the Taliban havetaken over territory such as Afghanistan and many others. One of the territories the Taliban has is Afghanistan and the government is seen as corrupted because they help the Taliban. Corruption may exist anywhere but would the Afghan government be supporting the Taliban with weapons because they want to or because of fear?
Young men who join the Taliban are not as ideological. They are motivated by money and the Taliban’s willingness to pay them, adventure seekers and those who long for the status that only power can provide. Furthermore, they long for a change to their country that has not come since 2001. During this time, they have found rage in instances such as a local villager being killed or wounded in an attack by Afghan, U.S., or NATO forces.
Considering the U.N.’s response to the war in Sierra Leone, it has a long way to go in its responsibility to ensure “legitimate governance under international law.” But U.N. efforts alone won’t stop the senseless killing in Sierra Leone over illicit diamonds. Kayne West’s song and video about “blood diamonds” makes us take an honest look at ourselves and ask: Is my fascination with diamonds contributing to the violence in Sierra
Darfur is the western region of the African country of Sudan. Currently, the people of Darfur have been continually attacked by the Sudanese army and by proxy-militia controlled by the Sudanese government. Families are being uprooted and starved, children tormented and murdered by the thousands and women raped without punishment. Innocent civilians in Darfur continue to be victims of unthinkable brutality. Many people have become homeless and seek protection in refugee camps in Chad. Yet despite its outward appearance, Darfur has a vast ethnic diversity and a complex, ancient system of resolving conflict. Genocide has occurred in several places around the world, but in Darfur there are certain reasons why it
In recent times, the media has highlighted the genocide that has been occurring in Darfur, Sudan. Darfur, Sudan is a country roughly the size of the state of Texas (Darfur Scores, n.d.). Genocide is the systematic killing of an entire ethnic group of people from a national, ethnic, or religious group, or an attempt to do away with them all (Darfur Scores, n.d.). Beginning around 2003, according to Darfur Scores (n.d.), “the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia have used rape, displacement, organized starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder. Violence, disease, and displacement continue to kill thousands of innocent Darfurians every month.”
Suicide bombers, rebel groups, minefield clearers, and soldiers are words used to describe these children in a terrible situation. In places like Afghanistan, Iran, and Guantanamo Bay children as young as 5 years old are apprehended from their families, and are taken to army camps to fight against the U.S-backed government. These children are so innocent, but many think that they need to be arrested for what they are doing. Instead of playing on a playground with their families they are brainwashed, drugged, forced to kill, and poisoned with alcoholic beverages.
The Taliban began to take down the local warlords and feudal system and began to make a name for themselves in the region. This brought the support of neighboring Pakistan, with the ulterior motive of attempting to establish a friendly, stable government in Kabul. The fighting caused a sudden influx of refugees to Pakistan’s border regions, which interfered with Pakistan’s trade. The Taliban eventually gained control of Kandahar, where they acquired their new weapons, and Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Despite the Taliban’s successes, they had opposition from warlords in the north such as Massoud. Massoud originally had control of Kabul but lost this when the Taliban invaded, pushing him north. Once he was forced to flee, he began to receive outside support from countries such as Russia and Iran. They both feared the growth of the Taliban, and Russia had reason to believe the Taliban was
The United Nations has described it as "the world's worst humanitarian crisis". As of 2003, the Darfur genocide is being carried out by the Sudanese armed forces and funded Arab militias known as the Janjaweed. These militias are historic rivals of the rebel groups known as the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Darfur is a region in western Sudan on the border of Chad, Libya, and the Central African Republic. Darfur is estimated to have about 6 million people living there. The conflict started in 2003 and has continued through today. The Janjaweed were accused of oppressing Darfur's non-Arab population. The Janjaweed are destroying Darfurians by burning villages, polluting water, murdering, raping
The ongoing genocide in Darfur is in desperate need of help. As the first genocide of the 20th century it impacts us directly. The men, women and children of Darfur are being exposed to death, rape and even water contamination.The Janjaweed is the root of the destruction in Darfur has motivated economic power, political power and a plain simple rivalry over the non- Muslim and the non-Arab. The Janjaweed translates to devils on horseback they got there name for a reason they ride around horseback armed with assault rifles and intentions of destruction.
Sudan is a crossroads through which many extremists groups combine or swap men, material and know-how. A coup in 1989 brought to power a group of generals allied to high-minded Islamists of an earlier vintage who, two decades ago, played host to Osama bin Laden. Since then the regime has grown suspicious of unbridled Islamism, though it is not averse to co-opting it, too. The main university in Khartoum, the capital, has been a magnet for radical students. Some have moved on to battlefields to the north and east, following in bin Laden’s footsteps.
Since 2003, the black African farmers of western Sudan's Darfur region have been victims of genocide. The genociders are Sudan's Arab-dominated government and nomadic Arab militia groups known as the Janjaweed. Darfur’s residents have suffered from discrimination, lack of resources, education, health services, etc. There is a large gap between the resources that the government has invested in Darfur and those invested in riverine Sudan. A fact that clearly illustrates the lack of safety towards the Muslims in the Darfur region is, “Thousands of villages were destroyed, pillaged, burned to the ground, and residents dislocated and killed amongst the violence. Only the villages of African tribes were bombed and attacked; nearby Arab villages were left unharmed, “ (Combat Genocide 1). This quote emphasizes the fact that because of the violence occurring, residents are getting killed or being force to be “dislocated.” In 2009 the United Nations estimated that there were 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur and approximately 270,000 refugees in eastern Chad (Combat Genocide 1). The battles between the rebel groups and the Janjaweed spread into Chad, which led to tensions between Chad and Sudan. Chad had huge problems with dealing with the huge number of refugees (Combat Genocide 1). In the refugee camps, the Janjaweed captured, attacked and raped women when they go outside refugee camps to collect firewood. Many refugees who fled their homes continued to flee from repeat attacks by the Janjaweed throughout Darfur. The genocide of the Darfur people have clearly taken a toll on the persecuted people, creating a life of violence for
Darfur is a region in western Sudan with diverse ethnic groups (11 Facts About Darfur). Here is a map of Darfur, http://www.worldatlas.com/img/areamap/0e09591d0cca13e9d33e4250f1a94702.gif. Darfur has a harsh weather environment with temperatures usually over 100 degrees (Geography). Darfur is a poor and undeveloped state. It is known for its genocide because of the mass slaughter and rape of men, women, and children. The genocide is racially based, and executed through The Janjaweed (11 Facts About Darfur). The Janjaweed are armed Arab militias supported through the government, and are to attack non-Arabs (The Basic Facts about Darfur). The killings began in February of 2003, and still happen today (The Basic Facts about Darfur). The Janjaweed
Irregular warfare has become the centre of much military and academic study in recent years, due mostly to the ongoing NATO operations in Afghanistan. However irregular warfare is by no means a recent revelation in the evolution of warfare and strategy, numerous examples exist throughout history in which irregular warfare tactics and strategy have been adopted and later analysed by academics and military professionals. This author will focus on the key issues that governments face in creating effective strategies for irregular warfare with a particular emphasis on counter-insurgency (COIN) and terrorism. Resources such as time, space, legitimacy and support present themselves as key issues in dealing with insurgency and terrorism and are
“The hearts and mind (HAM) theory is identified as winning the hearts and minds of the population which is a technique based on the implementation of the counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy of persuading the population to support the government and reject the insurgents.” The counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy as outlined by President Obama and General Petraeus’s most closely embrace is the heart and minds (HAM) theory. President Obama speech identified the United States strategic approach with Afghanistan in three elements. The three core elements addressed by President Obama during his speech on the strategy in Afghanistan are identified as: 1) utilize the military effort to create conditions for transition, 2) a civilian surge that