State vs Non-state Armed Groups – A Political Economy of Violence.

Abstract

Abstract-The early 21st century has witnessed the rise in violent extremism with groups such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Middle East, the Boko Haram in West Africa, and Al Shabaab in East Africa. The activities of these and other non-state armed groups have created a general state of panic and fear that is spreading beyond their areas of operation to other parts of the political world. Rather than diminishing the influence of these groups, the states' counter extremism strategies seem to be further fuelling the extremism and creating new waves of violence that threatens global security and undermines the very essence of our collective wellbeing. This paper examines the socioeconomic and political environment in which these armed groups have thrived and poses the question as to whether the failure of politics and development are to blame for the rise of extremism. The paper proposes a new approach to combating extremism that involves re-connecting people with politics and development. The basic contention of this paper is that there has been a failure of the state to satisfy the wellbeing of its citizens. The paper provides an explanation of, but by no means a justification of, the use of violent extremism in the early 21st century.

Power distortions, marginalised youth and the impact of natural resource led development: the case of the Solomon Islands

“…People are no longer seen as citizens but as servants of an agenda, with less pride in their national identity, but prepared to give blood for the sake of their tribal identity. This is unfortunately a recurring theme globally (Jegede et al, 2015).…”

“…Extreme power distortions lead to extreme reactions and regimes that can have a long lasting impact. Much of the extremism that is gaining traction in the world today is underpinned by unequal and unsettled disputes within many realms that fester into acute violence and extremism, not discourse (Jegede et al, 2015). When this impacts youth populations these ideologies are subsequently carried across generations.…”