Discuss How Poverty, Ethnic Hatred and Demographic Pressures Can Lead

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The Answer is Poverty, ethnic hatred, and demographic pressures can all contribute to the outbreak of civil war.

Poverty can create a sense of desperation and hopelessness among a population, leading to increased willingness to resort to violence as a means of addressing grievances. Lack of access to resources and economic opportunities can also exacerbate existing social and political tensions, making it easier for conflict to escalate into civil war.

Ethnic hatred can be a powerful driver of civil war, as deep-seated animosities and historical grievances can fuel violent conflict between different ethnic groups. When these tensions are not addressed through peaceful means, they can erupt into full-scale civil war, with each side seeking to assert its dominance and protect its interests.

Demographic pressures, such as rapid population growth and competition for limited resources, can also contribute to the outbreak of civil war. As populations expand, the strain on resources can lead to increased competition and conflict, particularly in regions where there are already existing social, economic, or political tensions.

A case study that illustrates how these factors can lead to civil war is the conflict in Rwanda in 1994. The country was plagued by extreme poverty, with a large portion of the population living in dire conditions. This poverty, combined with ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi populations, created a volatile environment in which violence erupted. The demographic pressures of a rapidly growing population further exacerbated these tensions, leading to a genocide in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed.

In this case, poverty, ethnic hatred, and demographic pressures all played a significant role in the outbreak of civil war, demonstrating how these factors can interact and escalate into widespread violence. It is important for policymakers and international actors to address these underlying issues in order to prevent future conflicts from erupting.

Discuss How Poverty, Ethnic Hatred and Demographic Pressures Can Lead

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