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Peace and Conflict Resolution in Southeast Asia In Southeast Asia period of colonialism has largely ended after The Second World War. The leaders of popular anti-colonial movement had European education and after they acquired political power in their countries, they mostly just remodeled their governmental institutions after European and American ones. This is where lies the root of todays ethical and religious conflicts in this part of the world. European ideas of democracy could never be accepted as natural ones by local population, as ethnic societies of this region had simply never possessed any democratic traditions throughout their history. People could never understand why did they have to bother participating in elections in order to reach their political goals, while these goals could simply be taken with the mean of violence, like it used to be done before. The colonial boundaries in Southeast Asia were drawn voluntarily and they were never adjusted to be representative from the ethical point of view.
Many large ethical groups found itself living in different countries and this was only the matter of time before popular discontent would gain momentum among them. Clark E. Cunningham in his article Southeast Asia after Colonialism and the Cold War gives us a precise reason for ethical animosity in this part of the world: Each nation in the region has old enmities between ethnic groups. Some derive from or were exacerbated by colonialism (among which the problem of the overseas Chinese is preeminent).
Others were dampened by colonial powers but have emerged in the new nations (for example, conflict between Muslim and Christian groups in East Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, or between Cambodians and Vietnamese). Some new enmities have arisen as increased population forces migration and resettlement that bring groups into new contact (such as immigrant Javanese in Irian Jaya, Christian Filipinos in Muslim Mindanao, Vietnamese in the highlands, or Hmong and others in north Thailand) As history shows, colonial powers were really effective in never letting any ethical conflicts to break out on territories, which they controlled. They never hesitated to use brutal military force when it was needed to stump out any popular discontent. But what I think played the most important role in fact that colonial period in Southeast Asia never knew any large outbreaks of violence, is the fact that local people thought of Europeans as natural rulers. Statues of Buddha are depicted to have blond hair and blue eyes Apparently people of Southeast Asia, as many other nations throughout the world, are in possession of some kind of subconscious memory that made them to associate Europeans with those who had the natural right to rule. European superior technology played role, of course, but it wasnt the most important factor.
It can never explain how 60 thousands Brits were able to rule over 300 millions of local people in India during 19 century. We can only say that ethical conflicts in Southeast Asia started to break out after colonial powers withdrew from that region. So, in a way, colonial methods of governance were really effective. Yet, it is also truth that todays problems in that region are the direct result of colonialism. It appears that ethical tension in this part of the world can only be effectively dealt with when local people get rid of colonial legacy, that is that state boundaries have to be reconsidered. Of course, this is not very likely scenario, yet itd be only the effective one.
The other way of dealing with the problem includes raising the level of tolerance among people through their continuous education. Its only that those countries that promote such tolerance are the former colonial powers and what they do is nothing else, but imposing their own views on people that they used to exploit not long ago. Thats why I think that any attempts by UN to reduce ethical tension in the region are bound to failure. People are told they have the right for self determination, yet the next thing theyre told is that present boundaries cannot be changed, which is bit contradictory, to say the least.
Europeans have done enough damage in the region; all they have to do now is letting people of Southeast Asia to deal with their problems on their own. Bibliography: Cunningham, Clark Southeast Asia after Colonialism and the Cold War. (2002) November 20, 2004 web Marker, Sandra Post-Colonial (Aftermath of Colonization). (2003) University of Colorado. November 20, 2004 web
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Research essay sample on Peace And Conflict Resolution In Southeast Asia
