Causes of conflict
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\nIdentity
\nIdentity is a sense of belonging to a group or geographical area where there is the same generic character, or a similarity of distinguishing character or personality. The identity may be determined by, or be apparent inn,ethnicity, language and religion. People can be very protective of their identity and seek to maintain it at all costs.
\nIdentity can be evident at a number of scales:
\n\u00b7 Nationalism \u2013 loyalty and devotion to a nation. This can create a sense of national consciousness, exalting that nation above all others. The culture and interests of only that
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\n\u00b7 Regionalism \u2013 consciousness of, and loyalty to, a nation or a distinct region with a population that shares similarities. It can sometimes lead to the development of a political social system based on one or more such areas
\n\u00b7 Localism \u2013 affection for a particular place. Localism rarely manifests itself in a political sense. However, it can be demonstrated as \u2018nimbyism\u2019 (\u2018not in my back yard\u2019) which
\noccurs when people are reluctant to have their local area affected by development for the national good.
\nEthnicity
\nEthnicity is the grouping of people according to their ethnic origin or characteristics. In narrow terms it describes the racial make-up of a population \u2013 whether people are Caucasoid, mongolid, negroid or Polynesian. More recently the term has broadened in meaning to refer to groups of people classed according to one or more common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic or cultural origins or backgrounds.
\nCulture
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\nIn a geographical sense, culture is the customary beliefs, social norms and traits of a racial, religious or social group and the set of shared
\nattitudes, values and practices that characterise that group. The origins of many groups are historical and may be lost in time. Hence, as with identity, culture is something of which groups of people are inherently proud, and which they seek to protect. Within the same nation, for example the UK, France or Italy there are many variations in culture \u2013 this diversity enriches the country.<\/p>\n
Territory
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\nTerritory is a geographic area belonging to, or under the jurisdiction of, a governmental authority. The territory may be an administrative subdivision of a country, or a geographic area dependent on an external government, but having some degree of autonomy (for example a country which is a colonial possession). Conflict can occur where there is dispute about who does or should have authority over an area. This can happen in areas where there are low levels of population (e.g. deserts) or where border depend on natural phenomena (e.g. rivers, estuaries and mountains).
\nIdeology
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\nIdeology is a systematic body of concepts regarding human life or culture. It can result in a set of integrated assertions, theories and aims that together constitute a socio-political programme. Some ideologies can be extreme and at odds with those elsewhere in the world and their supporters may seek to press their views on other by force. The Western views of democracy, and the alternative views of the Taliban in Afghanistan, could both be described as ideologies.
\nPatterns of conflict
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\nThere are four main scales of conflict in the
\nworld
\n\u00b7 International \u2013 where conflict involves the participation of more than one country
\n\u00b7 National \u2013 where the conflict takes place within one country
\n\u00b7 Regional \u2013 where the conflict takes place within an area of one country, or across the borders of one or more countries
\n\u00b7 Local \u2013 where the conflict is restricted to a small part of one region of a country<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"