...that is soaked in blood and greed...
Ev
er wondered as to why does Africa have most of its international boundaries as straight lines? Well, as an accident of history that was deliberately heaped on Africa, the European colonial powers used scale and rulers to carve out territories for themselves during the infamous Berlin conference of 1885. This sinister move which earned the sobriquet of ‘Scramble for Africa’ in history not only brought rival tribes in the same national domain but segregated national groupings in different political landscape. As a result these lines have not only divided tribes and communities but have also caused internecine warfare in Africa killing millions of people.
The European quest for exploiting the resources
of Africa, gift ed the region with blood and bullets that has ever since kept the countries in the region perpetually at odds against each other. The result of such quixoticism has been that, Eritrea and Ethiopia have been at war against each other while the Somali population has been splattered across different countries fuelling tension and war. The legacy doesn’t end here rather the political bigotry that has led to creation of artificial international boundaries have led to severe repercussions elsewhere as well. The 38th parallel that divided the Korean Peninsula into warring North and South was the creation of the infamous Korean War. Even before the ceasefire in 1953, the line separated the Soviet and the American controlled sector after the World War-II.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Ev
er wondered as to why does Africa have most of its international boundaries as straight lines? Well, as an accident of history that was deliberately heaped on Africa, the European colonial powers used scale and rulers to carve out territories for themselves during the infamous Berlin conference of 1885. This sinister move which earned the sobriquet of ‘Scramble for Africa’ in history not only brought rival tribes in the same national domain but segregated national groupings in different political landscape. As a result these lines have not only divided tribes and communities but have also caused internecine warfare in Africa killing millions of people.The European quest for exploiting the resources
of Africa, gift ed the region with blood and bullets that has ever since kept the countries in the region perpetually at odds against each other. The result of such quixoticism has been that, Eritrea and Ethiopia have been at war against each other while the Somali population has been splattered across different countries fuelling tension and war. The legacy doesn’t end here rather the political bigotry that has led to creation of artificial international boundaries have led to severe repercussions elsewhere as well. The 38th parallel that divided the Korean Peninsula into warring North and South was the creation of the infamous Korean War. Even before the ceasefire in 1953, the line separated the Soviet and the American controlled sector after the World War-II.For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
