2010 Haitian Earthquake Stimulating Internal Political Conflict - Research Paper Example

? Research Proposal The January Haitian earthquake stimulating internal political conflict. INTL 5100 07/24/11 Research Proposal Natural disasters can occur without warning shattering lives instantly. They leave behind death, injuries, and cause extensive damage and destruction to a countries or a regions infrastructure (Zack, 2011). The give exact date 2010 earthquake that occurred in Haiti wasn’t only sudden but it was catastrophic. It was the worst natural disaster to hit Haiti in modern times, cite? but it wasn’t her first. Haiti has seen over 20 internationally-recognized natural disasters in the last 15 years (Farmer, 2011). Except, this latest earthquake has brought to surface the fragility of the Haitian government and institutions because of their inability to provide survivors basic care and necessary safety nets (Amnesty International, 2011). There has been a considerable amount of evidence and proof that shows the poor functioning of the government in bringing the life back to normal in the earthquake hit zones. Haitian citizens are left homeless, displaced, living in makeshift tents, and now are fighting daily against Cholera which has been introduced into environment by United Nations. In this paper, let us analyze the outcome of the quake which has paved way for the development of internal conflicts and the steps that needs to be taken to prevent the internal conflict. Haiti will have to learn from other such earthquake prone zones as to how to face the consequences. Variable Natural Disaster Internal Conflict (Direct Variable) (Independent Variable) Owing to the imbalance and proper organization of powers there tend to be a lot of problem in a country in case of a natural disaster like that of an earthquake. There are several conflicts that will arise out of a situation like earthquake that will drain out human resource, economy and also life balance in a region. Many political, economic, and social conflicts bound to happen. Hypothesis There is definite relationship between the 2010 Haitian earthquake and internal conflict. Theory The 2010 Haitian earthquake will stimulate internal conflict if the vulnerabilities of the people aren’t handled quickly and efficiently. Currently, earthquake survivors are going hungry, dying from the lack of sanitation, and women are being sexually abuse. These are some of the many vulnerabilities being exacerbated by the earthquake. Haitians were poor and lacked resources before the earthquake but the atrocities left behind have intensified those vulnerabilities. The country will be on the brink of an internal conflict you must define/operationalize internal conflict! if proper precautions aren’t taken now. There are various studies that demonstrate that an earthquake and a natural disaster can bring a population closer. Just as there many studies showing that sudden disasters, change on the environment can bring pressure to states with the inability to properly handle a natural disaster. This paper deals with the natural disaster and the potential consequences that may arise out of such tough situation. The output will be compared with that of the Haitian situation in order to get the derivative. Yes, there is obvious unrest, lack of housing, and scarcity of other resources. However, in this research paper I would like to examine how natural disasters that occur in underdeveloped countries can lead to internal conflict by looking at other underdeveloped countries which has experienced natural disasters. Literature Review Natural disasters occur suddenly and thus the reason that these create the most anarchy within a region. The people are the worst sufferers because their homes have been dismantled and the property that remained within their fore is affected nonetheless (Topkaya, 2011). The United Nations defines natural disaster as “the consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region.” The natural disasters that have hit the world in recent times are enough to let all and sundry know that these have been catastrophic and have caused immense damage to mankind and property. The fact that natural disasters can have serious impact on the society and the people suggests that these need to be managed in a proper way (Shaw, 2011). If this does not happen, there would be immense problems for the entire civilization and the one that comes about as a result of the natural disasters and calamities existing within the region. Natural disasters are deemed as some of the most significant problems that have come about with the passage of time within this day and age. This is because they can come about suddenly and their drastic effects are something to get worried about their family and friends (Perry, 2007). The internal conflict can arise within a country because people might feel that since they have already lost their family members and their homes and property, they might as well claim control upon the property remains intact of others and the situation gives them the leeway to do whatsoever they feel like and thus exert their influence in more ways than one (Dyi, 2009). The internal conflicts do come about because the people have been hard done by. They have no other means to make both ends meet and the aid and help seem to be a far gone conclusion. What they can think best under these times is to seek refuge somewhere and this is only possible when they can play havoc with the system that exists within the country at that point in time. Similarly, they are also aware that people can create anarchy and mess by loot and plundering at that time because they might get back on their feet but they would not be able to become as rich as the well-off individuals of the society. All such frustrations are created by natural disaster which in turn leads to internal conflicts (Stevens, 2008). The conflicts within a country can also come about in the wake of natural disasters if the select group of people is bent upon finding out where they can gain something or the other, and at any point in time within their lives. They are always waiting for an opportunity that they cash upon, and once they come to know of such concerns that emit from the aegis of the natural disasters, they seem to grab it with both hands, thinking less of the people who are already suffering or will suffer due to the calamity or catastrophe which has hit them (Mulligan, 2011). The earthquakes of Turkey, Haiti, Chile, Indonesia and Pakistan are some of the examples where contrasting features of conflict came about. The catastrophes that took place in these nations shook the basis of the people and their governments came in with drastic steps to take care of the local populace. The conflicts came in when the people realized that they would have to get their respective house in order so that sanity could prevail within their ranks (Rosowsky, 2011). These individuals create anarchy because they want to ransack the property and incur loses on the part of the government, partly in line with the shortcomings that the organizations and institutions, and basically the government has had in the dealing with the masses of the society. The underdeveloped countries are the worst hit – mainly because they have fewer avenues of proper infrastructure and management shortcomings. These nations have experienced difficulties because there is absence of law and order mechanisms and the people at large do not know whom to obey and when. They are unaware of the difficult circumstances as and when they come up and thus know little about providing relief and rehabilitation to the people around them as well as to their own selves. Thus there is a dire need to understand where the ambiguities come up from and how these need to be resolved in the wake of such catastrophes and calamities (Fernandez, 2011). If the government plays its role well and clears the obstacles that stand between it and the people that exist under its domains, then these issues will not arise in the first place. People will heave sigh of relief and thus know exactly what to do under such natural disasters that happen suddenly and without any warning whatsoever. In the end, it would be fitting to state that these natural disasters need to be analyzed and understood properly before one decides to go ahead with their rectification plans, and more so under the aegis of the underdeveloped nations where emphasis is on getting the rehabilitation under grasps easily and with managed proportions (Paton, 2007). I don’t really understand that statement. Also, one problem is that natural disasters can’t always be predicted, so its hard to say we need to understand them before we react to them. The natural disasters should always be watched out by the government’s different units and institutions so that any anomalies which take place in the name of anarchy and rifts are managed without much difficulty. However, there are bound to be problems left, right and center when the natural disasters come about and these should always be handled with care and a sense of purpose attached with the masses (Siddiqui, 2010). In entirety, it is the people for whom the measures need to be enacted and hence all success under such difficult realms is dependent on the individuals who are sitting at the helm of affairs. Disaster causes great deprivation of human resource as well as economy and the life style of the people. There will be a severe discontent among the people who do face the cruelty of the nature without any support for them from any quarters. Though the restoration seems to be a difficult process, the government should take the necessary precautionary steps to face such sudden problems (Burris D and Hawley A, ) Methodology To find out whether or not 2010 Haitian earthquake (constant) will stimulate widespread internal conflict (independent variable. There are numerous studies on earthquakes and their effect on different countries, environments, regions, populations, etc. However, for this research it is necessary to narrow the topic down and focus to be on the effect of earthquakes in underdeveloped countries that lacked the institutions and safety nets to manage this type of crisis and Haiti is underdeveloped so it fits the criteria. The unit of analysis would be underdeveloped countries who are affected by natural disasters and whether or not they experienced internal conflict due to said disaster. The case of Haiti stands as a perfect model to analyze the connection between natural disaster and that of internal conflicts. Because the Haiti earthquake occurred recently and there are few empirical researches that exist on whether or not the country will be destabilized by internal conflicts. Studying countries where natural disasters have occurred and where internal conflicts disturbed the lives of people such as the Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan, and Kenya will validate the necessity of the topic. Those countries are similar to Haiti. They lacked the capacity to respond to a disaster which made it likely that conflicts would occur. After studying these countries and understanding how did they or didn’t they prevent internal conflicts then we can hypothesize about what might happen in Haiti. After analyzing these documents it will be necessary to conduct interviews with subject matter experts (SME) on earthquakes especially those who study earthquakes in underdeveloped countries. SME’s no apostrophe arenecessary because they would provide in-depth knowledge and analysis on the issues. SME’s should be able to touch upon the indicators that will lead to internal conflict and do those exist in Haiti. During this interview process questions such as how conflicts will progress? What indicates internal conflict in the forming stage? Is it possible that Haiti will experience internal conflict and if yes what can be done to prevent it? The case of the natural disaster like that of the Haiti earthquake is bound to create the political conflict in the first place and slowly it will move on to create other sub-conflicts that stem from the main conflict. The manner in which the underdeveloped countries deal with such problems is something that needs to be adequately discussed. The condition of natural disaster in Haiti has shattered not only the nation but also the political and economic condition of the place. Haiti is known as a nation of poor performance that already has a lot of internal issues such as that of the highest child mortality rates and more than half of the people not knowing to read or write. In the research paper we will see the internal conflict that the natural disasters cause over a nation and apply it over Haiti to find whether it causes the same effect or not in that nation as well. . Works Cited Amnesty International. (6 January 2011) Aftershocks: Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence in Haiti’s Camps. < http://amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR36/001/2011/en/57237fad-f97b-45ce-8fdb-68cb457a304c/amr360012011en.pdf>. Accessed 10 July 2011. Interagency Standing Committee, Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters.Washington: Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2006. Dyl, Joanna. Lessons from history: coastal cities and natural disaster. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 20(4), 2009 Flaubert, C. (2004) Evaluation of UNDP Assistance to Conflict-Affected Countries: Case Study: Haiti. New York, UNDP. . Accessed 10 July 2011. Fernandez, Glenn. Roles of School in Disaster Education. Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, 7, 2011 Mulligan, Martin. Lessons from Indian Ocean tsunami disaster still to be learnt. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, 2(1), 2011 Paton, Douglas. Preparing for natural hazards: the role of community trust. Disaster Prevention and Management, 16(3), 2007 Perry, Marcia. Natural disaster management planning: A study of logistics managers responding to the tsunami. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 37(5), 2007 Ocal, Adem andTopkaya, Yavuz. Earthquake preparedness in schools in seismic hazard regions in the South-East of Turkey. Disaster Prevention and Management, 20(3), 2011 Rosowsky, David. Recovery: Rebuilding a Resilient Housing Stock. 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