Civil Strife in a Complex and Changing World offers numerous perspectives of social conflict in the past and the present with a view toward academic classroom practices that may build strong connections both locally and globally between disparate social groups. Renaissance preachers, abolitionists, freethinkers, and even soldiers in Afghanistan provide thoughtful settings for the consideration of issues that at some times separate us and at other times bring us together. Participants of the 2012 Indiana College English Association conference presented their reflections to member colleagues on the conference theme of “Civil Strife.” They later submitted final papers for inclusion in this book. The papers selected here focus not only on past social conflicts, but also on recent events that have drawn us toward more global interpretations of social conflict. A third section ponders our modern reactions to social issues in the setting of the academic classroom. It also considers the origin of the academic environment itself, which provides the opportunity for the free expression of ideas that opens the door to further reflection and contemplation of the issue of civil strife. To complement the conference’s civil strife theme, graphic design students from the host institution provided a special art display. Some of the artwork displayed was then selected for incorporation into this volume, in the hope that the student work might inspire readers toward further reflection on various issues that often lead to civil strife. The cover art was provided by the Fine Arts Department at Ivy Tech Community College’s South Bend, Indiana campus. The Indiana College English Association is one of several regional affiliates of the national College English Association. ICEA has held an annual conference at an Indiana college or university since its inception in 1967. Information about ICEA may be found at www.icea.ausrc.org. The College English Association is a professional organization of scholar-teachers whose members include a broad and diverse group of professionals from around the world. More information about CEA and its affiliates may be found at www.cea-web.org.

Some of the most brutal and long-lasting civil wars of our time involve the rapid formation and disintegration of alliances among warring groups, as well as fractionalization within them. It would be natural to suppose that warring groups form alliances based on shared identity considerations - such as Christian groups allying with Christian groups - but this is not what we see. Two groups that identify themselves as bitter foes one day, on the basis of some identity narrative, might be allies the next day and vice versa. Nor is any group, however homogeneous, safe from internal fractionalization. Rather, looking closely at the civil wars in Afghanistan and Bosnia and testing against the broader universe of fifty-three cases of multiparty civil wars, Fotini Christia finds that the relative power distribution between and within various warring groups is the primary driving force behind alliance formation, alliance changes, group splits and internal group takeovers.

This book explores the relationship between climate change–induced migration and conflict in Bangladesh – one of the most ecologically fragile countries in the world. It explores why people migrate from their original place of land and how the migration of people with a different background to an ethnically distinctive region due to environmental changes can become a source of conflict and violence between the host peoples and migrants. The volume focuses on the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), which has experienced long-standing ethnopolitical conflict due to the settlement and migration of the Bengali people from the plain land of Bangladesh. This settlement and migration were mainly caused climatic events such as floods, cyclones, sealevel rise, and disasters. It traces the history of the ethnic conflict in the region and presents key findings from the field, as well as the dynamics of everyday politics in the region. This volume also highlights how internally climate-displaced people generate violence and civil strife in the major urban cities through their settlements in slums. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of environmental studies, human geography, migration and diaspora studies, public policy, social anthropology, and South Asian studies.

This book treats 30 important civil wars and revolutions across the world, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East, covering a broad swath of recorded history from ancient times to the present. Human history as a whole results from social changes, technological advances, and evolutions in thinking and religion—all of which often lead to wars and conflicts. Behind each major war are myriad interrelated causes. This book examines 30 of the most significant civil wars and revolutions in recorded history, from ancient times to the modern era, identifying the origins, consequences, and subtle impacts of many of these conflicts that are still being felt today. A comprehensive overview essay as well as explanations of the causes and consequences of each conflict give readers the context needed to understand the importance of these seminal events. Additional learning tools include a detailed timeline that sets all of the key events in the conflict in the proper context, maps of several of the key battles that help readers visualize the strategies of both sides, and a lengthy bibliography that offers a wealth of options to students looking to investigate any of the conflicts further.

This completely revised and updated eighth edition serves as the definitive text for courses in which the United Nations is either the focus or a central component. Built around three critical themes in international relations (peace and security, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and sustainable human development) the eighth edition of The United Nations and Changing World Politics guides students through the seven turbulent decades of UN politics. This new edition is fully revised to incorporate recent developments on the international stage, including new peace operations in Mali and the Central African Republic; ongoing UN efforts to manage the crises in Libya, Syria, and Iraq; the Iran Nuclear Deal; and the new Sustainable Development Goals. The authors discuss how international law frames the controversies at the UN and guides how the UN responds to violence and insecurity, gross violations of human rights, poverty, underdevelopment, and environmental degradation. Students of all levels will learn that the UN is a complex organization, comprised of three interactive entities that cooperate and also compete with each other to define and advance the UN's principles and purposes.