As stated in the UNESCO preamble, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. This quote is the foundation for this work. My thesis demystifies the cycle of armed conflicts in Nigeria. I strongly believe that there is a need to positively transform the mindsets and ideologies that drive and fuel violent hostilities.
At every point in time in Nigeria, there is unrest ranging from election violence, quest for self-determinism, or tensions arising from ideological dissonances. This thesis investigates what triggers these hostilities, and further explores nonviolent, grassroots and people oriented conflict transformation approaches.
The historical, cultural and ethno-political complexity of Nigeria made this research a big challenge. For this study to be concrete, I explored some root-cause dynamics connected to armed conflicts in Nigeria. Obviously, armed conflicts are confrontations with the presence and the use of mobile and stationary weapons. This is why some scholars and experts argue that without weapons, armed conflict will not exist.
Thus, eliminating weapons is the ultimate solution for ending armed conflicts. This argument is the brain behind arms embargo treaties such as the ECOWAS Moratorium on Small and Light Weapons, and the Bamako Declaration. Nigeria ratified both treaties, and has further demonstrated commitment in several multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation initiatives.
This nexus between weapons availability and armed conflict is also the driving force behind demobilization and disarmament programs in Nigeria. The fundamental question here is, despite these acclaimed political and diplomatic endeavors on national, regional and international levels, why do armed conflicts still exist? My thesis unravels this missing puzzle.
Following this, the threefold research questions forthis study are as follows:
1. What internal and external factors facilitate incessant armed conflicts in Nigeria?
2. Why has previous conflict resolution or conflict management mechanisms proved to be ineffective?
3. Taking the aforementioned questions into consideration, what approaches could be deployed to transform the situation?
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Author's Perspective
- 1.1 My Journey and Reflection in Retrospect
- 1.2 Embracing Plurality of Knowledge
- 1.3 Research Interest
- 1.4 Methodological Framework
- 1.5 State of the Art
- Chapter 2: Defining and Conceptualizing
- 2.1 Perceptions and Connotations of Conflict
- 2.2 Violence: The Road to Conflict
- 2.3 Defining Armed Conflicts
- Chapter 3: Contextualizing Armed Conflicts: The Case of Nigeria
- 3.1 Situation Analysis
- 3.1.1 Do Civil Wars create Cultures of Violent Conflicts?
- 3.1.2 Is the Niger Delta Conflict a Resource War?
- 3.1.3 Boko haram: Is Western Education the Problem?
- 3.2 The Dynamics of Weapons Availability
- 3.3 Conclusion
- 3.1 Situation Analysis
- Chapter 4: The Militarization and Wishing Away Approach
- 4.1 The Trajectory of Armed Conflicts in Nigeria
- 4.2 Post Conflict Processes in Nigeria
- 4.3 Conclusion: Looking Back to Move Forward
- Chapter 5: Research Methods
- 5.1 Literature Review as a Method
- 5.1.1 Prescriptive and Elicitive Model
- 5.1.2 Transition From Violence to Peace Cultures
- 5.1 Literature Review as a Method
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This master's thesis aims to demystify the cycle of armed conflicts in Nigeria by exploring the complex dynamics, historical context, and potential pathways towards a holistic healing approach. The author seeks to analyze the root causes, consequences, and various approaches employed in addressing these conflicts.
- The interplay of violence, conflict, and peacebuilding in the Nigerian context.
- The historical and socio-political factors contributing to armed conflicts in Nigeria.
- The effectiveness of current approaches to conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Nigeria.
- The potential of a holistic healing approach to address the underlying causes and consequences of armed conflicts.
- The role of cultural understanding, reconciliation, and justice in fostering lasting peace.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Chapter 1 introduces the author's personal journey and the research interest that led to this thesis. It delves into the importance of embracing diverse knowledge systems in peacebuilding and the methodological framework used to analyze the conflicts in Nigeria.
Chapter 2 examines the concepts of conflict and violence, exploring different perspectives and highlighting their complexities. It also provides a clear definition of armed conflicts within the context of the thesis.
Chapter 3 provides a detailed contextualization of armed conflicts in Nigeria, focusing on the specific cases of civil wars, the Niger Delta conflict, and the Boko Haram insurgency. It analyzes the dynamics of these conflicts and the contributing factors.
Chapter 4 analyzes the prevalent "militarization and wishing away" approach to conflict resolution in Nigeria, highlighting its limitations and exploring alternative pathways towards sustainable peace.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this thesis include armed conflict, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, holistic healing, cultural understanding, reconciliation, justice, Nigeria, Niger Delta, Boko Haram, violence, and the dynamics of weapons availability.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Joy Alasia (Autor:in), 2015, Demystifying the cycle of armed conflicts in Nigeria. A holistic healing approach, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/310957
