What are the trends in non-state conflict over the past 20-30 years Research Paper

What are the trends in non-state conflict over the past 20-30 years (or for whatever time period you have data) - Research Paper Example Citizen to government tensions happen in militaristic states. Often, the civilians consider the government as oppressive, the reason why they fight against it. In other instances, the military rules the state after conducting a successful coup dà ©Ã‚ ·tat. History is replete with examples such as what happened in Afghanistan in 1978 and Argentina in 1966 (Political Instability Task Force). Political parties’ competition is evident based on historical accounts. Compared to ethnic rivalries and citizen to government tensions, this type of non-state conflict is continuous, from 1955 until now. Nevertheless, it is only apparent in states which are not yet completely democratic like Benin and Congo-Kinshasa (Political Instability Task Force). Significantly, from the year 1946 up to 2005, internal armed conflict has decreased (Williams 159). From 2002 until 2005, battle-death internal conflicts have declined by about seventy percent (Williams 159). However, if the years 1946 and 2004 will be compared, there is a higher incident of non-state armed conflict in the latter year (Williams 159). Ethnic rivalries are recurring as ethnic groups want to preserve their identity and existence from generation to generation. There are times when they need to bear arms just to maintain society’s recognition. In some other situations, they have to compete for power and authority. This goes to say that power struggle is evident upon ethnic groups. This struggle turns into conflict when politics and religion join into the picture. If the government is not committed to providing a solution, this conflict persists. It is understandable why citizen to government tensions occur in states governed by the military. Often, this kind of government is strict and autocratic, the reason why the citizens could feel dissatisfied and oppressed (Art and Waltz 3). Since the one, which has power and authority, is the military, there is no other recourse but to unite and fight. The citizens,