Political Marginalization, Climate Change, and Conflict in African Sahel States by CCAPS researcher Clionadh Raleigh discusses the probability of increased communal conflict in African states due to the “political vulnerability” of groups to climate change. From an initial examination of communal conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa, the risk of conflict depends largely on the size and political importance of ethnic groups.
Environmental issues can be catalysts to low-level conflict in marginalized communities, but the critical factor is the extent of political and economic marginalization. Small, politically insignificant ethnic groups experience most conflicts related to environmental pressures. This framework informs a prediction of where we should expect to see high levels of politically induced vulnerability and resultant intra- and intercommunal conflicts.
The full paper is available here.
The August issue of the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project's Conflict Trends Report analyzes recent trends in political violence in ten countries in South and Southeast Asia, stretching from Pakistan to Vietnam. (more…)
The Strauss Center’s program on Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) recently published its Final Program Report on “Climate, Conflict, and Governance in Africa: Pinpointing Risks and Opportunities.” (more…)
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar and CCAPS researcher Alan Kuperman's new book, Constitutions and Conflict Management in Africa: Preventing Civil War Through Institutional Design, was recently reviewed by Yonatan Fessha, Senior Lecturer at the University of the Western Cape, in The Journal of Modern African Studies. Fessha praises the book, writing that “This important contribution breathes life into an aspect of...