ChAPTER 8: POLITICAL CONFLICTS

The Kashmir Conflict The conflict began in 1947 with the partition of India which led to the creation of the sovereign states of India and Pakistan. However, many rulers were as yet undecided about whether to join India or Pakistan. One of these was Maharaja Hari Singh, rule of Kashmir. Due to its location Kashmir could have joined either India or Pakistan. Ultimately, the Maharaja chose neither.

The Indo-Pakistan War (1948-1949) Maharaja Hari Singh agreed to handover Kashmir to India but Pakistan objected. This led to a two-year war between India and Pakistan. Intervention from the UN led to a ceasefire between the two nations on 1 January, 1949. India governs 43% of the region including Jammu, Ladakh (now known as Indian Kashmir), and the Siachen glacier. Pakistan governs 37%, namely Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, collectively known as Pakistani Kashmir. China also controls 20% of Kashmir due to the Sino-Indian War (1962).

Kashmir Today Almost 60% of Indian Kashmir consists of Muslims and is the only region of Kashmir with a Muslim majority. They appear not to accept Indian government and would prefer independence or joining Pakistan. The Hindus in Azad Kashmir (Pakistani Kashmir) blame the government for negligence as well as religion-based discrimination and a lack of freedom of speech.

The Sri Lankan Civil War Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) achieved independence in 1948 after 450 years of western rule. The Sinhalese majority in the government declared that Buddhism be given and Sinhalese be given special status and this led to discontent amongst other ethnic groups. The Tamil minority fought back and established the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and battled the Sri Lankan military from 1983.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) The LTTE trained women and children in warfare against the government. The first LTTE suicide mission took place in 1987 when a truck carrying explosives deliberately crashed into a military camp, killing 40 Sinhalese soldiers. It is estimated that the LTTE have carried out almost 400 suicide missions, more than any other organization in the world.

LTTE Suicide Missions In mid-2001, the LTTE attacked 8 military planes and 4 commercial aircraft. In late 2001, due to mounting international pressure, the LTTE agreed to reach a solution via negotiation. Norway acted as a neutral moderating force between the two. But this too failed.

The North and South Korea Conflict After 35 years of Japanese occupation, the UN divided the Korean peninsular into two at the 38th parallel in 1945. Russian troops occupied the northern half and American troops occupied the southern half. These sworn enemies then governed their respective territories according to their own ideologies, leading to the formation of a communist North Korea and a more capitalist South Korea.

The North and South Korea Conflict The South Korean government launched (with help from their American allies) campaigns to eliminate the communist threat but was actually directed at government dissenters. More than 100,000 people died in these campaigns. The North chose to ally with Japan, sentencing landowners to death and confiscating their land.

The North and South Korea Conflict North Korea hoped to occupy South Korea so as to unite the two, especially after American troops had left the latter. North Korea launched its initial attack in June 1950 after years of border disputes. This led to Chinese and American intervention, causing the destruction of many cities due to the extensive bombing performed by the United States.

Aftermath The borders of the two nations were declared a demilitarized zone (DMZ) but neither have ever ratified any agreement regarding this and are technically still at war.