Political Conflict Research Articles

The unbearable lightness of being implicated in conflict-affected societies: can teachers do anything about it?

PurposeIn this reflective essay, the authors explore how thinking with the notions of implication and complicity may encourage or hinder efforts to engage teachers in problematizing victim-perpetrator binaries in conflict-affected societies.Design/methodology/approachThis reflective essay draws on lessons learned from the authors’ long-time work with teachers in Cyprus and Israel. The authors suggest that the concept of implication provides a productive framework for thinking about teachers’ professional responsibilities in more complex and nuanced ways.FindingsThe reflections of the two authors highlight the challenges and possibilities of overcoming essentialist categories of “victims” and “perpetrators” in conflict-affected societies.Originality/valueThis essay shows the (im)possibilities of transforming the prevailing binaries in communities experiencing political conflict.

Workplace violence against junior doctors in Iraq: implications for job satisfaction and retention

IntroductionHealth workers worldwide report being exposed to workplace violence, but those in conflict settings (or post-conflict settings) are especially targeted, as political conflict shifts societal norms. Iraq has suffered war and conflict for decades. A 2013 study of 567 Iraqi-trained physicians found nearly 2/3 had emigrated to mostly English-speaking countries; further, half of those remaining wished to leave Iraq. While prior studies have examined the phenomenon of violence against health workers in Iraq, no qualitative study has characterized Iraqi front line junior doctors’ experiences of workplace violence within a workplace violence causal framework, to inform an educational and policy response.MethodsWe consented and interviewed 73 junior physicians at six teaching hospitals across Central Iraq between December 2021, and January 2022. We analyzed 22 of the 73 conversations, after rejecting 29 because they were terminated prematurely when doctors were called away for patient care, and 22 others where doctors indicated they had no experience with workplace violence. (Our goal was to understand these interactions, not to quantify them).ResultsThe physicians we interviewed had been practicing an average 3 years since graduating from medical school (ranging from 6 months to 7 years). Interviewees represented eight hospital departments, with most coming from internal medicine and surgery. Within a socio-ecological framework, we identified two primary individual-level factors prompting patient-associated violence: patients and their families don’t understand triage (and resent being pushed to the side when doctors focus on more serious cases), and junior doctors (by definition) are young and inexperienced. At the family level, doctors reported patient relatives often demonstrate their devotion to the patient by acting out. At the hospital level, institutions are operating in an environment of scarcity, which generates high emotions as patients compete for attention, supplies and space. At a societal level, doctors reported family attacks persist because perpetrators face no real legal consequences. In addition to causes of violence, there are consequences. Doctors who are targets of violence reported experiencing mental health problems, including depression and loss of self-esteem, and reported thoughts of leaving their positions and even their country. Doctors also expressed regret for choosing a career in medicine.ConclusionYoung, inexperienced junior doctors in Iraq are bearing the brunt of patient frustrations with the scarcity of resources in the health system. Hospitals would likely improve the job satisfaction of junior physicians, and their longevity in the health system, by attending to this problem.

Depression, anxiety and coping strategies among Palestinian university students during political violence: a cross sectional study.

There are numerous wars and ongoing political violence in Palestine and little is known about how they have affected Palestinian undergraduate students' mental health and coping strategies. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, and anxiety symptoms and coping mechanisms among Palestinian university students during the times of current political violence in Palestine after October 7, 2023. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was utilized for a sample of students from 3 universities in Palestine (Al Quds University, Hebron University, and An-Najah University) and 1815 participants responded. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires, including Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Brief COPE scale. Person correlation test, chi-square test, and bivariate analysis were performed to examine the associations between research variables. The estimated prevalence of depression was 65.9, and 60.9% for anxiety. The logistic regression showed that students from the Arts Faculty, females, and those with working parents were significantly more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms. Also, active coping, emotional support, and humor reduced the likelihood of experiencing depression symptoms, while active coping, positive reframing, humor, and acceptance decreased the likelihood of developing anxiety symptoms. Further, the study found that using religion, self-blame, denial, and behavioral disengagement increased the likelihood of depression symptoms while planning, venting, religion, self-blame, denial, and behavioral disengagement increased the likelihood of anxiety symptoms. The study found that political violence often leads to symptoms of depression and anxiety among undergraduates. Furthermore, the use of maladaptive coping mechanisms increases the likelihood that these symptoms will occur. Providing immediate assistance to university students affected by political violence and conflicts is crucial for their emotional and mental recovery and coping with difficulties.

Scholars as political influencers: celebrity, social media and political movements in Thailand

ABSTRACT The early twenty-first century witnessed a significant surge in democratisation movements against unjust dictatorships worldwide. In Thailand, political protests across the nation have captured considerable attention in recent years, primarily led by students and young people advocating for democratic reforms, with support from scholars and professionals. Despite this, studies of Thai politics have largely overlooked the role played by Thai scholar celebrities. While some critics have examined the rise of influencers in the online era, few have contextualised them within the political sphere. This article aims to address these gaps by elucidating the concept of celebrity culture within the political arena. The paper comprises three main sections. The first section delves into the notion of celebrity, celebrity culture, and, more specifically, scholar celebrities. Following this, a concise overview of the Thai socio-political landscape is provided, with particular emphasis on the ongoing political conflict dating back to 2006. The third and final section scrutinises Thai scholars as political influencers, exploring their relationship with and contribution to the Thai political movement. Additionally, it investigates the distinctive characteristics of these social media political influencers compared to traditional media influencers, particularly regarding their interactions with their fan bases. Contrary to prevailing beliefs regarding the negative ramifications of celebrity and fame, this study posits that scholar celebrities, irrespective of public agreement or dissent, serve to spotlight specific issues and instigate public discourse or national dialogue, thereby conferring a vital advantage to political movements.

Evaluating the Potential of a Unified Hausa-Igbo-Yoruba Language to Ease Language Related Social and Political Conflicts in Nigeria

Evaluating the Potential of a Unified Hausa-Igbo-Yoruba Language to Ease Language Related Social and Political Conflicts in Nigeria

VIEWS OF POLITICAL CONFLICTS BY WESTERN THINKERS

The article analyzes the essence of political conflicts of Western thinkers and classifications of their changing character, historical-political views on political conflicts.

Weapons of Theory

Abstract This article critically engages with central tenets of decolonial thought. While sympathetic to decolonial thought's anti-colonialism and critique of Eurocentric universalism, the article argues that decolonial thought's understanding(s) of knowledge relies on an essentialising centralisation of origins and roots. Against decolonial thought's assertion that a knowledge's relevance for anti-colonial struggle results from its position of exteriority vis-á-vis colonial systems of domination, the article suggests that we need to look at the dialectical and hybrid processes through which bodies of knowledge are made agentic in relation to concrete contexts of political conflict. To discern a body of knowledge's meaning and relevance for anti-colonial struggles, we need to understand that it is continually shaped and reshaped from recurrent practices of reading, dissemination and re-articulation, through which the theory or knowledge body becomes hybridised and reformulated in relation to incessantly evolving contexts.

The Relationship between Sovereign Debt and Politics

ABSTRACT: With the rise of bonded private debt over the past 15 years, there is an increased dependency on private creditors for sovereign nations that borrow to finance their government activities. The power of private creditors gained through increased sovereign debt burdens is affecting the internal political dynamics of these borrower countries, especially in the Global South, including Latin America. A larger external debt burden creates internal political conflict around the distribution of benefits, so debt is intimately linked with politics. Standard economics literature ignores this problem by hypothesizing markets based on perfect competition. We outline a set of hypotheses regarding the relationship between creditors' political preferences in sovereign debt markets that feature "power rents," when relatively powerful foreign investors can obtain significantly higher returns by lending to smaller, weaker nations. Bringing power asymmetries into the debt discussion, we also present a research agenda for economics and political science.

사회신뢰가 갈등인식에 미치는 영향요인에 관한 연구 - 세대 간 갈등을 중심으로

This study empirically analyzes the factors affecting perceptions of intergenerational conflict. For the empirical analysis, independent variables include economic factors, social factors, political factors, and organizational conflict factors, with social trust used as a mediating variable. To test the hypotheses, a survey was distributed to adults aged 19 and over residing in Jeju Island, and 500 completed surveys were collected for empirical analysis. The empirical analysis revealed that economic factors and political factors significantly influence the mediating variable of social trust. This indicates that a higher positive perception of economic and political factors leads to increased social trust within society. Additionally, as positive perceptions of social trust increase, perceptions of intergenerational conflict decrease. Based on the empirical analysis, addressing economic factors is crucial for reducing perceptions of intergenerational conflict and resolving generational tensions. It is important to expand economic support for the younger generation and diversify youth support policies to provide various benefits. While many local governments have established youth centers offering counseling and support related to housing, employment, and living conditions, insufficient promotion means that many young people are unaware of these services. Therefore, enhancing the promotion of youth support policies is also necessary. Additionally, given the intensifying ideological and political conflicts, political parties and organizations should work towards mutual respect and coexistence.

Migration Intentions, Practice Environment, and Satisfaction among Nigerian Nurses: A Case Study

Background: Nursing workforce migration is a function of the nursing practice environment and satisfaction with the general situation of their country of practice. There is a need to provide empirical data on the intent to migrate among nurses and satisfaction with the working environment in Nigeria.Purpose: This study assessed migration intention, favorability of practice environment, and level of satisfaction with the Nigerian environment among nurses in a private teaching hospital in Nigeria.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study recruited participants using a simple random sampling technique. In all, 124 nurses participated in the study. Data was collected using the migration intention questionnaire, nursing practice environment scale, and satisfaction with Nigeria environment questionnaire. All ethical principles were adhered to. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation) were used. Results: An overwhelming majority (95.2%) have the intention to migrate to other countries with 63.6% of them already in the migration process. Canada (34.8%) and the United Kingdom (33.9%) were the most sought-after countries. Nurse manager ability, leadership, and support scored highest on the favourability of the nursing practice environment (2.92±0.80) while staffing and resources inadequacy has the lowest score (2.63±0.68). Overall, 75.8% of the nurses describe their practice environment as favourable. Political conflicts and wars are the most dissatisfying areas of Nigeria's environment. Also, the majority 61.3% were dissatisfied with the Nigerian environment.Conclusion: The majority of the nurses who participated in the study are planning to migrate to another country. The majority of the nurses are not satisfied with Nigeria’s environment and they opined that their practice environment is unfavourable. There is a need to make the nursing practice environment more favorable to the nurses.

Fraternizing with the enemy: Intragroup effects of extended contact

Extended contact (i.e., knowledge that an ingroup member has a close relationship with an outgroup member) often improves relations between groups. In the current research, we argue that such contact can also undermine relations within groups. Specifically, we propose a “fraternizing with the enemy” effect in which the fraternizer is viewed negatively by other ingroup members. In five preregistered experiments ( N = 2,035), we tested this effect in the context of political conflict using both real-world (Study 1) and fictitious (Studies 2–5) ingroup and outgroup members. Our results indicated that the fraternizer (vs. nonfraternizer) was viewed as less ideologically aligned with the ingroup, which in turn led to perceptions of this person as ambiguous and disloyal to the ingroup, and thereby elicited negative attitudes toward the fraternizer. We also found that, besides producing these negative effects, fraternizing with the enemy also produced the positive intergroup effects typically elicited by extended contact. We discuss the potential implications of our results for the effectiveness of extended contact in bridging political divides.

Land use land cover change in the African Great Lakes Region: a spatial–temporal analysis and future predictions

The African Great Lakes Region has experienced substantial land use land cover change (LULCC) over the last decades, driven by a complex interplay of various factors. However, a comprehensive analysis exploring the relationships between LULCC, and its explanatory variables remains unexplored. This study focused on the Lake Kivu catchment in Rwanda, analysing LULCC from 1990 to 2020, identifying major variables, and predicting future LULC scenarios under different development trajectories. Image classification was conducted in Google Earth Engine using random forest classifier, by incorporating seasonal composites Landsat images, spectral indices, and topographic features, to enhance discrimination and capture seasonal variations. The results demonstrated an overall accuracy exceeding 83%. Historical analysis revealed significant changes, including forest loss (26.6 to 18.7%) and agricultural land expansion (27.7 to 43%) in the 1990–2000 decade, attributed to political conflicts and population movements. Forest recovery (24.8% by 2020) was observed in subsequent decades, driven by Rwanda’s sustainable development initiatives. A Multi-Layer Perceptron neural network from Land Change Modeler predicted distinct 2030 and 2050 LULC scenarios based on natural, socio-economic variables, and historical transitions. Analysis of explanatory variables highlighted the significant role of proximity to urban centers, population density, and terrain in LULCC. Predictions indicate distinct trajectories influenced by demographic and socio-economic trends. The study recommends adopting the Green Growth Economy scenario aligned with ongoing conservation measures. The findings contribute to identifying opportunities for land restoration and conservation efforts, promoting the preservation of Lake Kivu catchment’s ecological integrity, in alignment with national and global goals.Graphical

Bankers are afraid of technology now: explaining perceived vulnerability to technological change among the higher-educated

ABSTRACT The higher-educated are typically seen as winners of technological change and automation, but recent evidence shows that many higher-educated workers are, in fact, concerned about losing their jobs to technology. The reasons why higher-educated workers are worried about technological change are not yet clear, however. We analyse survey data from 25 countries to resolve this puzzle. Our results indicate, in a nutshell, that many higher-educated workers are concerned about being replaced by ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) and related technologies. Specifically, we find that perceived technological vulnerability among the higher-educated is strongly linked to working in the finance and IT sectors – which are known to be particularly heavily exposed to advances in AI technology. We discuss the implications of technological vulnerability among the higher-educated for social solidarity and political conflict in digitalizing economies.

GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY: SECURITY FACTORS AND CURRENT TRENDS

The issue of ensuring global food security remains one of the leading and decisive issues for all countries in the world, without exception. The implementation of the goals of sustainable development, which have become a strategic priority for society, has separated the problems of overcoming hunger and ensuring the health of the population as key and the main priority for the further existence of humanity. The article examines the essence of the category "food security" from various scientific and methodological positions and conducts a comprehensive review of the prominent trends that accompany the aspects of solving the issue of achieving food security on a global scale. The main elements of the agro-food system as a resource base for ensuring global food security are separated: 1) a sufficient amount of safe, high-quality food; 2) healthy nutrition of the population; 3) inclusive distribution of income and expenses of the population; 4) prevention of climate change, sustainability and conservation of biological resources. A set of key factors influencing the possibilities of ensuring global food security has been identified: population size, science and technology, climate change, imperfect global food distribution mechanisms, problems of gender inequality, urbanization processes, and inclusive gaps between the living conditions of the population, the growing scale of political and military conflicts The model's architecture, which contains the essential characteristics of achieving global food security, is outlined. Critical trends for achieving global food security were identified and assessed. Among them: the relative stability of the problem of world hunger, in particular, in individual world regions; increasing the level of dependency, hunger, and gender inequality; the growth of inclusive gaps in the economic availability of food; increase in the level of urbanization of the population; the health problem of a large part of the world's population and the strengthening of the trend of healthy eating. Ukraine, a significant player in the global agri-food market, holds substantial potential to combat the world's hunger crisis. The key to unlocking this potential lies in resolving the ongoing military conflict within Ukraine's borders and restoring the country's agricultural resources and production capabilities through sustainable development.

How the radical right reshapes public opinion: the Sweden Democrats’ local mobilisation, 2002–2020

This study enhances our understanding of the long-term impact of radical right parties (RRPs) on public opinion by examining the local mobilisation of the Sweden Democrats (SD) over the past two decades. Drawing on extensive local-level data from Sweden’s 290 municipalities (2002–2020), merged with survey data, the study reveals that the gradual establishment of RRPs in local politics alters voters’ policy preferences, increasing the salience of immigration. The study further shows that the SD’s local presence reshapes societal divides, leading individuals to increasingly sort their ideological views according to their positions on immigration, while reducing the prominence of economic redistribution issues. Consequently, public attention shifts away from traditional economic-redistributive conflicts towards immigration-related concerns. These findings have significant implications, suggesting that the local establishment of RRPs reconfigures public perceptions of political conflict from the grassroots level, independent of demographic trends, external crises, and even RRPs’ national leadership.

Влияние социально-экономической дифференциации молодежи на ее политическую идентичность

This article examines the features of the political identity of provincial youth based on socio-economic differentiation. It is noted that the youth environment is not homogeneous in its socio-economic status and such differentiation in the context of a Special Military Operation, an unstable political situation, and social tension presupposes a different political identity. In turn, this leads to destructive activity of young people in relation to government officials, as well as to intergroup conflicts. This assumption formed the basis of the author’s analysis in considering the possible dependence of the ideological identification of young people on their place in the social structure of society. The scientific tasks to be solved by the analysis are the understanding and conceptualization of the political and ideological orientations of modern youth in the context of socio-economic differentiation. The working hypothesis was that the least financially protected groups of young people are the most radical in relation to the authorities. Therefore, the author conditionally distinguishes two groups of young people. The first group of young people are those who have a low standard of living, suffer from a lack of social elevators and social injustice, do not have the opportunity to get a good education and are ready to change their position in society during protest actions. The second group of young people is the generation that grew up as “qualified consumers”, who saw risks in reducing their consumption levels and are therefore ready for protest actions in order to defend their rights as consumers. However , the study of this problem revealed that modern youth are quite apolitical, this was shown by answers to the question about choosing an ideology whose values are closest to the respondent, as well as a rather low percentage of radically minded youth, regardless of financial situation, which does not significantly affect the political process. At the same time, in conditions of political instability and elite conflict, these groups of youth can become a destructive resource for political actors in the conflict.

The Impact Of The Blockade And Politics On Health And Social Welfare In Palestine

The political conflict between Israel and Palestine has created a difficult situation for the Palestinian population, with a blockade imposed by Israel and persistent political tensions. The impact of the blockade and politics on the health and social well-being of the Palestinian population requires in-depth research to fully understand its implications. This research aims to analyze the impact of the blockade and politics on physical and mental health, access to health services, and the social welfare of Palestinian society. This research uses the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method to collect and analyze data from various related literature sources. Data was analyzed comprehensively to understand the impact of the blockade and politics on health and social well-being in Palestine. The results show that the blockade imposed by Israel has caused a severe health crisis, with increased risks of infectious diseases, shortages of medical equipment, and limited access to health services. In addition, political conflict has also caused an increase in mental disorders among the Palestinian population, as well as disturbing social instability.

Conformism vs. Independent Opinions: The Challenges Facing Education Administration Students when Dealing with Political Conflicts Practiced in Simulation-Based Learning

Israel is defined as a Jewish and a democratic state. Yet, in recent years, the government of Israel has attempted to change the balance of power between the judiciary and the legislative and executive authorities. Many perceived this change as a fatal blow to democracy, while others supported the change. These political conflicts cannot be ignored inside schools. The purpose of this study was to examine how education administration M.A students deal with political conflicts within schools and the communication strategies they use. To that end, the method of simulation-based learning was used. The main research questions focused on the study participants’ willingness to express their opinions about controversial political conflicts. The results revealed an unexpected scenario. Even though school principals might be expected to be in control because of their powerful position in the organization’s hierarchy and their authority to mete out punishments and rewards, the simulations showed a different outcome in the broader political context, indicating that a general sense of chaos reigned in schools as well. Following these results, we developed a didactic educational model whose purpose is to educate toward social involvement and the ability to express a reasoned opinions.

Governance and Fiscal Decentralisation in Latin America: An Empirical Approach

The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between certain institutional variables and the effectiveness of fiscal decentralisation in Latin America. To fulfil this objective, we took a sample of 15 Latin American countries for the years 1996 to 2020 to estimate the logarithm of GDP per capita based on the level of fiscal decentralisation, as well as its interaction with six institutional variables plus three control variables. The results show that institutional variables always modulate the effects of fiscal decentralisation, in most cases significantly and negatively, the exceptions being accountability with a positive result and government effectiveness with a non-significant result. It was concluded that in the presence of weak regulations, political conflicts, and corruption, fiscal decentralisation can worsen social or economic circumstances in Latin America.

Paths s to improve business resilience and risk coping strategies of African Chinese businessmen

In recent years, the number of Chinese businessmen in Africa has been growing. Restricted by objective factors such as Africa's development stage and business environment, this group is facing many risks such as political conflicts, investment risks and social security. Based on a field survey conducted in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, this study analyzes the practices of Wenzhou businessmen to enhance their business resilience by expanding ethnic economy, grafting business networks, non-transferable industries, and transnational resource integration. It is suggested that African Chinese businessmen should prevent and resolve business risks by taking measures such as industrial upland, operation localization, production localization, and employee localization. Promote China-Africa cooperation.