Homework on Homeworks!
sinister670RESPOND to discussion 150 words minimum.
This is not limited to the DRC. Other states, such as Pakistan, Thailand, Greece, most of the Arab states, and most of Latin America have had fairly long histories which alternate between weak civilian governments and military takeovers when the military leaders believe things are getting out of hand.
There are a lot of reasons -- but one key reason is that in most states outside of the US and Western Europe, the military is also a social elite. So the military often sees themselves as the guardian not so much of the state, but of the existing social order. This is not an issue in the US, which is why it is often off our radar.
As most of you may know, the US does military assistance and training with other countries for a lot of reasons, but one of them is to try to socialize these kinds of militaries into a more democratically-oriented focus and (hopefully) create the values that the military needs not to be trying to run the political process.
This does work to a certain extent -- the endemic coups in Latin America have pretty much fizzled out. Not so much in other places. Egypt was for a time in the "win" column when the military refused to intervene on behalf of Hosni Mubarak -- but that got erased by their subsequent deposing of Morsi. This shows that while we can inculcate values into our military colleagues, this only goes so far when they see a threat that needs to be dealt with.
Or, in the case of the DRC, if the military isn't getting their share of the pie. Is the same thing happening in North Korea?
RESPOND to discussion 150 words minimum.
Starting off, it states that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the epicenter of conflict since World War II. The fact that it is in a third world country with ongoing conflict with war makes it a weak state. With almost to zero protection for their citizen it makes it hard for the average person to live their life. As stated in this article, “As the conflict has morphed from a regional war to a series of tenacious local insurgencies, the civilians caught in the middle have paid the steepest price” (Stearns1), it is sad to read.
Unlike other countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest group of United Nations there to assist with the peacekeeping in the Congo. Having the largest group of the UN peacekeeping deployment team does not matter due to the amount of armed groups in the Congo, especially during their presidential election. Since 1994 the Congo has the most death than any other place, which includes adults and children from the Congo, also, the death count includes the military members whom lost their lives there.
Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo has plenty of resources that are available, it is useless to the citizens due to the ongoing war. Considering the population of the Congo and the weak government that supports it also makes it a weak state. A person per year makes two hundred dollars equivalent their currency. Due to the poor economy, it forces the civilians to be easy targets as recruitment for their armed forces. Since the DRC government is considered weak and corrupt, they must rely on outside assistant to maintain their peacekeeping and their government. All areas of the country political wise is lacking proficiently. Their economic, political and their military are present but they are far from being proficient. As for their presidential office, they have had one leader since 2001 and there is a high possibility of the same leader running for a third term this year and winning.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is considered a weak state compared to the US because of the lack of government participation and the violence it brings upon their citizens.
-Huy
Work Cited:
"The Eastern Congo." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 21 July 2016.
Respond to Discussion 150 words minimum.
The Congo is a state that has for years been unstable, and this instability has lead to conflict, humanitarian disaster and a weakened state. Since World War 2 Eastern Congo has been in a state of conflict that has defied any attempts to end it. Although the country has vast natural resources and farmlands the nation has been unable to take advantage of these, which would help build their country and economy.
The conflict, which rages in The Eastern Congo has no less than 40 armed groups allied with different regional countries all fighting for there own reasons. Although the armed forced have shrunk this has lead to small gorilla forces difficult to track active in the area. The conflict has lead to mass displacement of the population and is draining the United Nations force’s resources.
These circumstances have made Congo a Weak State. With internal threats to the countries sovereignty and the inability of the country to foster a national identity or a loyalty to the state, for a large part of the population, it is difficult to define the Congo as a state. It is only due to the International Communities decision to recognize the Congo as a State and its sovereign control of the Eastern Congo, as well as its defense of the Congo through the UN that the country as a whole exist. This inability of the country to provide it’s own security also plays an important role in keep the Congo week. Without security the country cannot create conditions that allow the society develop.
Unless the conflict between tribes in the east is reconciled and the Congo is able to take responsibility for its protection through improved armed forces, the country will remain weak for the foreseeable future. The inability to create a condition that would allow for the basic tenants of statehood, the creation of a National Identity and a loyalty to the state, will leave the Congo in a position that their sovereignty is contingent on other more powerful players in the International Community that are willing to recognize and defend their state.
Reference List
Wilkinson, Paul. 2007. International Relations : A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed July 21, 2016).
"The Eastern Congo." Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed July 21, 2016. http://www.cfr.org/congo-democratic-republic-of/eastern-congo/p37236#!/?cid=main-interactive_dap-the_eastern_congo.