The Civil War and the Refugee Crisis in Liberia
On the eve of the twenty-first century, one of the greatest challenges and troubling phenomena facing the world is an increasing number of refugees, of whom there are about 18 million. The refugee problem has recently assumed international significance due to exploding refugee population movements. The global refugee problem is a subject of international concern as it affects Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America. It is a particularly serious problem in Africa where the refugee population on the continent represents about 50 percent of the world's refugees, surpassing even the population of some individual African nations. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Liberia have generated the largest numbers of refugees.
Civilian resettlement patterns in civil war
This article proposes a descriptive typology of civilian resettlement patterns in civil wars. The patterns vary in two dimensions: whether or not displaced civilians cluster together or resettle independently, and if they remain within their home country or not. The combination of the factors leads to four resettlement patterns: expulsion, segregation, integration, and dispersion. Expulsion and segregation occur when the displaced cluster, either within the home state (segregation) or beyond it (expulsion). Integration and dispersion occur when the displaced do not cluster but seek to blend in with other communities, either abroad (dispersion) or within core cities and towns in the state (integration). After introducing the typology and illustrating it with examples, the article engages in theory-building to explain variation in resettlement patterns. It argues that resettlement forms are based on the type of displacement that civilians experience, and the perpetrator of the violence. The displacement type influences individuals’ best strategy for achieving relative safety. Within and across wars, groups that experience political cleansing are likely to cluster together for safety. The best destination options for the displaced to resettle depend on the perpetrator, which lead to clustering either within a state if the actor is non-state, or outside the state if the actor is the state or an ally. The argument is illustrated with examples. Finally, the article considers the implications of resettlement patterns for violence, conflict, and state-building.
Editorial: toward getting some facts less snarled?
SUMMARY The dialogue sparked off by the World Bank's 1981 Accelerated Development Report has clearly been necessary and in many respects positive. It has resulted in significant reappraisal of some of the new conventional wisdom's initial tenets. Although far from monolithic in their analysis of the issues involved IDS members have tended to form a middle ground. Emphases have changed but three themes remain central: a stress on complexity as opposed to highly simplified analysis and policy; recognition of the diversity in sub‐Saharan African economic contexts, structures, policies and performance; and the implications of interaction between different strands of analysis and policy. SOMMAIRE Le dialogue initie par le rapport sur le Developpement accelere de la Banque mondiale en 1981 etait clairement tres necessaire et a ete positif a de nombreux egards. Des reevaluations de grande portee en ont decoule en ce qui concerne certains des principes initiaux de la nouvelle sagesse classique. Bien qu'ils soient loin d'etre monolithiques dans leur analyse des problemes impliques, les membres de IDS ont eu tendance a etre moderes. L'accent a change, mais trois themes restent essentiels: une insistance sur la complexite opposee a une analyse et a une politique simplifiees au plus haut point; reconnaissance de la diversite dans les contextes economiques, les structures, politiques et performances de l'Afrique subsaharienne; et les implications de l'interaction entre les differents courants de l'analyse et de la politique. RESUMEN El informe de Desarrollo Acelerado del Banco Mundial 1981 desencadeno un dialogo necesario y positivo desde distintos puntos de vista. Como consecuencia se han reconsiderado algunas premisas iniciales de la nueva ortodoxia. En lugar de ser monoliticos en su analisis de los temas, los integrantes del IDS han tendido a formar una posicion intermedia. Aunque el enfasis ha cambiado, tres temas continuan siendo centrales: un acento en la complejidad en oposicion a analisis y politicas simplificadas; el reconocimiento de la diversidad de contextos, estructuras, politicas y desempeno economico de la region del sub‐Sahara del Africa; y, las implicancias de la interrelacion entre diversos aspectos de analisis y politicas.