Civil Wars

Primed for Violence: The Role of Gender Inequality in Predicting Internal Conflict

Citation:

Caprioli, Mary. 2005. “Primed for Violence: The Role of Gender Inequality in Predicting Internal Conflict.” International Studies Quarterly 49 (2): 161-78.

Author: Mary Caprioli

Abstract:

We know, most notably through Ted Gurr's research, that ethnic discrimination can lead to ethnopolitical rebellion-intrastate conflict. I seek to discover what impact, if any, gender inequality has on intrastate conflict. Although democratic peace scholars and others highlight the role of peaceful domestic behavior in predicting state behavior, many scholars have argued that a domestic environment of inequality and violence–structural and cultural violence–results in a greater likelihood of violence at the state and international level. This project contributes to this line of inquiry and further tests the grievance theory of intrastate conflict by examining the norms of violence that facilitate a call to arms. And in many ways, I provide an alternative explanation for the significance of some of the typical economic measures–the greed theory–based on the link between discrimination, inequality, and violence. I test whether states characterized by higher levels of gender inequality are more likely to experience intrastate conflict. Ultimately, the basic link between gender inequality and intrastate conflict is confirmed–states characterized by gender inequality are more likely to experience intrastate conflict, 1960-2001.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Women, Gender Equality/Inequality

Year: 2005

Gender Equality and Civil Wars

Citation:

Caprioli, Mary. 2003. “Gender Equality and Civil Wars.” CPR Working Paper No. 8, Social Development Department, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network, World Bank, Washington, DC.

Author: Mary Caprioli

Abstract:

The research and paper on Gender Equality and Civil Wars was commissioned by the CPR Unit. It is part of an ongoing effort by the Unit to encourage original research on issues of gender and conflict, raise awareness inside the World Bank on what up to now has been a generally neglected dimension—both the conflict dimensions of gender and development, and the gender aspects conflict and development—and gradually contribute to improve the way we think about and address gender and its complex linkages with the causes and effects of violent conflict. Other elements of this effort currently under way include a comprehensive literature review on gender and conflict, a stocktaking of how the Bank has approached gender in conflict-affected countries, and an analysis of international experiences and conceptual framework to help us think about young men at risk and their deadly interplay with violence, conflict and other risky behavior such as HIV/AIDS transmission.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Health, HIV/AIDS

Year: 2003

Transitional Subjects: The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Former Combatants in Colombia

Citation:

Theidon, Kimberly. 2006. “Transitional Subjects: The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Former Combatants in Colombia.” International Journal of Transitional Justice 1 (1): 66-90.

Author: Kimberly Theidon

Abstract:

A key component of peace processes and postconflict reconstruction is the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants. DDR programs imply multiple transitions: from the combatants who lay down their weapons, to the governments that seek an end to armed conflict, to the communities that receive – or reject – these demobilized fighters. At each level, these transitions imply a complex and dynamic equation between the demands of peace and the clamor for justice. And yet, traditional approaches to DDR have focused almost exclusively on military and security objectives, which in turn has resulted in these programs being developed in relative isolation from the growing field of transitional justice and its concerns with historical clarification, justice, reparations and reconciliation. The author draws upon research in Colombia, a case of great interest because the government is attempting to implement mechanisms of reparations and reconciliation in a ‘pre-postconflict’ context, and to implement DDR on the terrain of transitional justice.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Combatants, DDR, Gender, Women, Men, Justice, Transitional Justice, Peace Processes, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Regions: Americas, South America Countries: Colombia

Year: 2006

Maternal Health, War, and Religious Tradition: Authoritative Knowledge in Pujehun District, Sierra Leone

Citation:

Jambai, Amara, and Carol MacCormack. 1996. “Maternal Health, War, and Religious Tradition: Authoritative Knowledge in Pujehun District, Sierra Leone.” Medical Anthropology Quarterly 10 (2): 270–86. doi:10.1525/maq.1996.10.2.02a00090.

Authors: Amara Jambai, Carol MacCormack

Abstract:

In Sierra Leone constraints to ideal maternal health require a primary health care approach that includes collaboration with traditional midwives. They are authoritative figures embedded within local political structures and a powerful women's religion. The local causes of maternal risk are described, including civil war and refugee camp life. Traditional midwives provide vital services in the camp, are respected for their social status, and learn additional skills. Biomedical and traditional systems of authoritative knowledge, based on different kinds of legitimacy to heal, are in a complementary relationship.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Refugee/IDP Camps, Gender, Women, Health, Reproductive Health, Religion Regions: Africa, West Africa Countries: Sierra Leone

Year: 1996

Armed Conflict, International Linkages, and Women’s Parliamentary Representation in Developing Nations

Citation:

Hughes, Melanie. 2009. “Armed Conflict, International Linkages, and Women’s Parliamentary Representation in Developing Nations.” Social Problems 56 (1): 174–204.

Author: Melanie Hughes

Abstract:

Politics is arguably the arena in which gender inequality remains most pronounced. Yet in recent decades, women in some countries and regions of the world have made significant gains in legislative presence at the national level. But for women living outside of the industrialized West, we know little about the processes that facilitate their entry into politics. Through separate analyses of 36 high-income, 86 middle-income, and 63 low- income countries, I demonstrate that past models of women’s political representation fail to explain variation across low-income samples. Using multiple methods, I also explore two sets of factors that may be more salient predictors of women’s parliamentary representation in low-income nations: civil war and international linkages. Although historically women have been unable to consolidate gains made during wartime into post-conflict political representation, I find that certain types of civil conflict during the 1980s and 1990s positively affect women’s representation in low-income nations. Longer, larger-scale wars that contest the political system or serve to alter the composition of the government have the best prospects for creating opportunities for women to gain parliamentary seats. Brief case studies of women, war, and social change in Rwanda, Mozambique, Uganda, and Tajikistan suggest that structural and cultural mechanisms may work in conjunction with political openings to produce post-conflict gains in women’s political presence. Both women’s lack of political representation and the tragic effects of civil war remain enduring challenges faced by the developing world, but at the intersection of these two problems, there is hope for women seeking political access.

Keywords: gender and politics, women in national legislatures, developing countries, civil war, international nongovernmental organizations

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Economies, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, Political Participation

Year: 2009

A Human Rights Approach to Protecting People Living with HIV/AIDS in Angola

Citation:

Flechner, David. 2005. “A Human Rights Approach to Protecting People Living with HIV/AIDS in Angola.” International Social Science Journal 57 (186): 627-37.

Author: David Flechner

Abstract:

The official end of Angola's decades-long civil war in 2002 presented the government with an opportunity to channel its attention and resources into confronting the nation's profound social challenges. Principal among these is the need to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS while also supporting those already living with the virus. While the civil conflict hampered national and cross-border mobility, and consequently slowed the rate of HIV/AIDS transmission, the post-war situation could now lead to a rapid increase in infections, rising to the devastating proportions already decimating the populations in its neighbouring countries. A key strategy for mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS that has already yielded some positive results is the use of human rights mechanisms to protect those living with the virus. This article first analyses the context in which the epidemic has begun to spread at an increased rate since the end of Angola's civil war. It then explores how the existing international, regional, and domestic human rights instruments to which Angola has adhered guarantee to protect people living with HIV/AIDS and, if enforced more consistently and comprehensively, will prove to be powerful tools in confronting the epidemic.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Health, HIV/AIDS, Post-Conflict, Rights, Human Rights Regions: Africa, Southern Africa Countries: Angola

Year: 2005

Counter-Revolutionary Women: Gender and Reconciliation in Post-War Nicaragua

Citation:

Cupples, Julie. 2004. “Counter-Revolutionary Women: Gender and Reconciliation in Post-War Nicaragua.” Gender and Development 12 (3): 8–18.

Author: Julie Cupples

Abstract:

In Nicaragua, gender ideologies - and, in particular, discourses of motherhood - have frequently been manipulated by political forces. In the early 1990s, at the end of the civil war, Sandinista and Contra women in Waslala united to form a group which aimed to end the political polarisation within their community and promote development. Aid agencies provided funds on the understanding that both sides would work together. Discourses of reconciliation were both powerful and pervasive, offering a way of overcoming the hatred caused by war, and bringing about a sustainable peace. These discourses draw on ideas of women as mothers and peacebuilders, which are appealing to many, including women themselves. Yet these simplistic characterisations of women are a flimsy basis on which to initiate reconciliation. This is because women's gender identities do not exist in isolation, but intersect with other identities, including those derived from political allegiances. Ultimately, this led to the failure of reconciliation in Waslala.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Governance, Households, Humanitarian Assistance, Peacebuilding, Political Participation Regions: Americas, Central America Countries: Nicaragua

Year: 2004

Reshaping the Role of Civil Society in Somalia - Peacebuilding in a Collapsed State

Citation:

Quinn, Shane, and Ibrahim Farah. 2008. “Reshaping the Role of Civil Society in Somalia - Peacebuilding in a Collapsed State.” Paper presented at the International Studies Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, March 26-29.

Authors: Shane Quinn, Ibrahim Farah

Abstract:

Somalia has been without an effective central government for the past seventeen years. In such a vacuum, many non-state actors including the civil society were left to play a major role in the search for peace. Although the term civil society€™ itself has a definitional problem in a Somali setting, this emerging entity has had a recognizable, albeit sporadic effect in various parts of the country. There are, however, a number of challenges: too much dependence on external support, the distinct cultural context and the lack of a coherent and coordinated strategy. The paper will analyze the role civil society has had in war-torn Somalia since the 1990s along an analytical framework that also looks into the context in which civil society operates, and the relevance and effectiveness of civil society performance towards peacebuilding. It is argued that, despite the definitional problems associated with the term, civil society has played a major role in the peacebuilding process in Somalia and that it remains the only major unifying factor in the country.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Civil Society, Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Somalia

Year: 2008

Armed Conflict, War Rape, and the Commercial Trade in Women and Children’s Labour

Citation:

Farr, Kathryn. 2009. “Armed Conflict, War Rape, and the Commercial Trade in Women and Children’s Labour.” Pakistan Journal of Women’s Studies: Alam-e-Niswan 16 (1 & 2): 1-31.

Author: Kathryn Farr

Abstract:

This research examined militarized sexual violence and the commercial trade in women and children in twenty three countries with ongoing or recently- ended civil wars. Findings indicate a progressive connection between assaultive violence against women during armed conflict and the commercial trade in women and children for sexual and other labour. Today’s armed conflicts target civilian in their homes and towns, in flight from violence, and in refugee and IDP settlements which are largely populated by women and children. In these wars, women suffer severe declines in their economic and security positions, and are at severely increased risk of sexual assaults by military combatants and numerous other war-related groups. Rebel and militia groups’ demands for sexual and other labour lead to both sexual enslavement and the trade of enslaved women and children. War-traumatized women and girls fall prey to traffickers, and trafficking across borders is carried out with relative impunity. With the expansion of supply and demand, sex industries gain a foothold in developing and transitioning civil- war-torn countries, and retain their prominence in traditional trafficking destination countries in the economic North, the Gulf states, and parts of South and Southeast Asia.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Combatants, Displacement & Migration, Refugee/IDP Camps, Gender, Women, Girls, Gender-Based Violence, Livelihoods, Sexual Livelihoods, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militarization, Militias, Non-State Armed Groups, Security, Sexual Violence, Sexual Slavery, SV against Women, Trafficking, Labor Trafficking, Sex Trafficking, Violence

Year: 2009

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