Armed Conflict:

Contributing to Negative

Impacts in the World.A presentation by Henry Baillie-Brown

What is Armed Conflict?

Armed Conflict is (from the dictionary) a conflict carried on

by force of arms, as between nations or between parties

within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air.

Affects military, civilian populations, economy, technology,

environment, etc…

Remains to be a prominent problem in society today.

Historical Example: WWII

World wide conflict

Over 20 million military, and 27 million civilian casualties.

World’s Largest conflict to date

Starting 1939 and ending 1945 (approx. 6 years)

Cost trillions of dollars in damages.

Heavy environmental damages across

the globe.

Modern Day Example:

Afghanistan 2001-2012

(Invasion) 2001-present day

USA-led invasion to stop “Weapons of mass destruction”.

158 Canadian solders killed to date.

Almost 20,000 civilians killed.

Today: Mission to empower the

people of Afghanistan.

Problems with Armed Conflict

Kills number of military personnel, as well as an untold

number of possible civilian casualties as well.

Causes huge financial costs on economy, and creates

debt.

Untold environmental damages to the planet.

Creates division within people.

Hate, greed, gluttony and other negative emotions.

No real Societal advancement.

Environmental Devastation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuGv9Tb5bNA

War and Conflict Theory

Conflict Theory states that: Society is held together by the

ones with the most power and accepts their societal

conventions as the “norm”.

Society is never completely stable, and relies on conflict

for balance between powers.

Society run by those in power.

Those in power gain their power by portraying their

society’s views.

(Bankston, 2000).

Example of Conflict Theory in

WWII

Church Hill and Adolf Hitler both historical leaders. (Vest,

2011).

Both powerful and high in the social totem pole.

While they had opposing views of each other, both rose to

power due to them reflecting their society’s beliefs.

Possible Solutions

Historically, Wars have always had a “winner”. Example: Allies during WWII.

War has changed, with introduction of nuclear weapons, modern technologies and knowledge, there may not be anything left if there is another world war. (The Campaign for, 2012).

While Conflict theory states that one person has the power, today, the people have the power.

Social Media, world wide news, the internet and other technologies have brought people closer together than ever before.

Connecting people + Bringing

Them Together.

An example of the power of connecting is when the

Egyptian government fell from protests created by social

media.

“I certainly do not think he would have left office at this

point if it wasn't for social networking tools, […] Because

of that, Mubarak and his regime felt they had no other

choice than to step down. […] When Egyptians who

wanted Mubarak and his administration out began to

mobilize, they turned to social networks, specifically

Facebook.

(Gaudin, 2011).

People Come Together to

Create a Better World

The following video is an excellent example of what the

world can be like when we are connected and resolve our

differences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-U0pMpYFJY

Coming Together for Tomorrow

“Be a change if you wish to see change in the world.” – MahatamaGandhi

An Excellent story that shows the power of a united peoples is that of Gandhi. While imprisoned for standing up for what he believed in (human rights) due to him standing his ground, he gained support from millions around the world, eventually ending up with his release and changing the world into the one we know today where diversity and cohesion between peoples is of utmost importance. (M.K. Gandhi Institute, 2013).

Conclusion

Armed Conflicts have a negative impact on the world.

Conflict Theory States that those who are in power dictate

the balance and direction of society.

Possible solutions to conflict is the unification of the

people of the world.

Just like the story of Gandhi, when people stand up for

what they believe in, they can help make a positive

change to the world.

Works Cited

Bankston, C. L. (2000). Sociology Basics. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press.

Gaudin, S. (2011). Social networks credited with role in toppling Egypt's Mubarak. Computer World. Date Accessed: November 29, 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9209159/Social_networks_credited_with_role_in_toppling_Egypt_s_Mubarak

M.K. Gandhi Institute. (2013). Our Mission. M.K. Gandhi Institute. Retrieved from:http://www.gandhiinstitute.org/who-we-are/our-mission/

The Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World. (2012). Learn. Retrieved from: http://nuclearweaponsfree.org/learn/

Vest, R. (2011). Winston and Adolf: Parallels and Contrasts. Indiana University Southeast. Retrieved from: http://homepages.ius.edu/RVEST/ChurchHitler.htm