Exploring the Roots of Conflict and Violence

Photo credit- The Economist website

In times of economic and political strife, people tend to resort to radical and extreme measures for various reasons. As stated in a January 28th article from The Economist, the global economic downturn as well as outsourcing of manufacturers from Nigeria to China have subsequently resulted in violent clashes between the two main tribes in Nigeria which are separated among religious lines. Nigeria's heavy reliance on oil and its wealth has rendered other industries severely dehabilitated and the country's lackluster electric and transport systems has driven the price of production to such highs that companies now look elsewhere for similar alternatives. Therefore, unemployed Nigerian workers turn to violent religious sects whose words of aggression sound appealing to men left with no other options. These groups tend to attack their area politicians who often use money meant for opening jobs for their own benefit instead. Lastly, many of these politicians endorse Sharia law (law governed by Islam) simply to gain votes as opposed to an actual belief in that system of law, further angering these groups. Only time will tell if these problems will be solved or exacerbated even more by a lack of involvement and change.

This article from The Economist exemplifies several aspects of our study of governments: economic development and performance, globalization, whether democracies are really suited to help the poor and the relationship between political and economic changes. First and foremost, Nigeria's deep dependence on oil brings to mind the question of whether the country can be called a democracy just yet. Having one sector and its wealth dominate the economy in the hands of a lucky few while other industries are ignored and the majority of the citizens are left attempting to make ends meet is not typical of most democracies. Second, the negative effects of globalization can be seen especially in northern Nigeria where manufacturers can now afford to choose China over Nigeria (due to China's superior infrastructure) as their place of production because of the relative low cost of global transportation. Nigeria's lack of a fully-developed infrastructure once again undermines its true ability to be a democracy, because one of the prime factors that have enabled all of the current developed democracies to be where they are is the presence of smooth and interconnected systems of utilities and communication. This also raises the concern of whether the system of democracy as a whole is adept to aiding masses in poverty- it may be that countries like Nigeria would be better suited to a socialist or welfare state in order to close the rich/poor gap and develop a middle class, another key in developing a democracy. Lastly, the faulty relationship between political and economic change in Nigeria shows the need of a change in government planning. The article states how politicians neglect the needs of their constituents and focus instead on increasing their own wealth. All of these problems pose a threat to Nigeria's potential democracy and one cannot help but wonder when things will take a turn for this African nation.

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