Globalisation and Local Conflicts in Africa and Asia (Evidence-Based Approaches to Peace and Conflict Studies, 7)

This edited book is written by six authors from Asia and Africa. The individual authors focus on their own country's case or cases that they have been working on. The book features local conflicts in six countries in Asia and Africa and identifies how the local conflicts are affected by the forces of globalization. Cases include Nigeria's oil-related conflicts, the Democratic Republic of Congo's timber conflicts, continuing instability in Mozanbique, Thailand's conflict with regard to AIDS medicine, Myanmar's local conflicts after its reforms, and the Afghanistan's conflicts over minerals. From these diverse case studies, the book examines how globalization and international politics affect local politics and conflicts, and vice versa. Even seemingly internal conflicts are shown to be significantly influenced by globalization forces and to create new dynamism in local politics. While there are other books that explore globalization and conflicts, many of them are conceptually organized with a small number of case studies. The present volume examines local conflicts in relation to globalization and demonstrates how structural inequality vis-a-vis weak stateness and statehood are significantly affected by global political economy.-- Provided by publisher Contents Editor and Contributors Abbreviations Introduction 1 Introduction 2 Where Do We Stand? 3 The Puzzle: Globalization and Local Conflict 3.1 Organization of the Book References Globalization and Nation-States in Africa and Asia 1 Introduction 2 Globalization as a Multifaceted Phenomenon 2.1 The KOF Globalization Index and Six Selected Countries 3 Africa and Asia in Global/Regional Economy and Politics 3.1 Political Economy of Globalization 3.2 International and Regional Rules for an Order in the Globalized World 4 Globalization, Growth, Inequality, and Stateness: Dynamics of Local Conflicts in Africa and Asia 4.1 Politics of State-Building 4.2 Globalization and the Nation-State: Internal Dynamics References Globalization and Local Conflict in Africa Energy Security and the Paradox of External Peacebuilding Interventions in Nigeria’s Niger Delta 1 Introduction 2 Energy Security and the Political Economy of Oil in Nigeria’s Niger Delta 3 Oil and Violent Conflict in the Niger Delta: Emerging Complexities 4 Oil, State-Sponsored Conflict Management and the Foundations of Peacebuilding Paradox in the Niger Delta 5 Peacebuilding in the Niger Delta: NPOs and the Paradox of Post-2009 Interventions 5.1 The Niger Delta Stability Programme, Oil and Peacebuilding in the Niger Delta 5.2 Security and Governance Pillar 5.3 Oil Theft and Illegal Refining Pillar 6 The Goal of Peacebuilding Interventions in the Niger Delta: Global-State Convergence, Local Discontinuities 7 Conclusion References International Policies and Illegal Logging Exploitation Sustaining Local Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo 1 Introduction 2 Overview of International Laws Linked to Illegal Logging in Forest Product Trade and Investment 2.1 The 2008 US Lacey Act 2.2 European Union Timber Regulation 2.3 China's Timber Legality Verification System Initiative 2.4 Comparison Between the Three Regulations Against Illegal Logging 3 Illegal Logging Exploitation in DRC 3.1 The Limitations of National Policies on Logging 3.2 Foreign Industrial Logging Companies and Their Impacts 4 Illegal Logging Related Conflicts 4.1 Emergence of Social Conflicts and Repression by SODEFOR 4.2 Ugandan–Thai Company Dara Forest in Collaboration with Armed Groups 4.3 Conflicts Related to Timber in Kongo-Central 5 Illegal Logging as Threat to Social Peace 6 Challenges in Multilateral Forestry Cooperation Between DRC and Some Developed Countries and Organisations 6.1 Global Policy Donors and the Support for Industrial Logging 7 Conclusion References The Politics and Political Economy of Violent Conflicts in Post-war Mozambique 1 Introduction 2 The Decade of Triple Transition 2.1 From Socialism to Market Economy 2.2 From Civil War to Peace 2.3 From Single-Party to a Multiparty Democracy 3 Globalization and the Making of a Precarious Peace 3.1 The Coexistence of Economic Growth, Poverty, and Inequalities 3.2 The Coexistence of Democracy and Political Exclusion 4 Challenging the Precarious Peace: Violent Conflicts in the Post-war Era 4.1 Bullets and Ballots Politics: RENAMO’s Return to Violence 4.2 A Rebellion of the Poor and Marginalized? The Insurgency in Cabo Delgado 5 Conclusion References Globalization and Local Conflict in Asia Local Conflicts in Post-reform Myanmar 1 Introduction 2 Adopting Liberal Reforms in Myanmar 2.1 Continuity of Military Control 2.2 Privatization for the Maintenance of Military Capitalism 2.3 Conducive Environment for Reforms 3 Disciplined Democracy that Divides Nations 3.1 Historical Background of Ethno-Religious Relations in Myanmar 3.2 Myanmar as Guided by Disciplined Democracy 3.3 ‘National Races’ for the ‘Prevalence of Law and Order’ 4 Despotic State-Building and Local Conflicts 4.1 Development in the Globalized World 4.2 State-Building that Divides the Nation 4.3 Militarized Governance and Sovereignty 5 Conclusion References Imbalance Between Public Health and Intellectual Property Rights Protection Goals: Battles on AIDS Medicines in Thailand 1 Introduction 2 Global Political and Economic Force in the Form of Patent Protection 3 Trade or Lives? AIDS Drugs Conflict in Thailand 3.1 Business or Punishment? The USTR and Pharmaceutical MNCs 3.2 Patent Skeptics and Patient Outcries for Medicines 3.3 Compulsory Licenses: Right or Taboo? 3.4 More Than TRIPS: TRIPS-Plus Agreements 4 Beyond TRIPS-Plus: Choices and Adaptation 5 Conclusion References Afghanistan and the Curse of Resources: Taliban’s Greed-Based Jihad in the Heart of Asia 1 Introduction 2 Main Stakeholders in Afghanistan’s Political and Economic Affairs 2.1 The Taliban Project: The Looting Machine of Natural Wealth of Afghanistan 2.2 Pakistan: Owner of the Looting Machine 2.3 The United States of America 2.4 Iran 3 Taliban’s Greed-Based Jihad in the Heart of Asia, Afghanistan 4 Main Revenues of the Taliban During the Two-Decade Long Jihad 4.1 Minerals 4.2 Opium 4.3 Extortion and Taxes 4.4 Donations 5 Taliban: A Jihadist Group or a Foreign Project? 6 The Consequences of Taliban’s Jihad in Afghanistan 7 Conclusion References Conclusion Index