An emergency meeting of the United Nations Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict has been called to address the most recent outbreak of violence in Extremadura. Recent democratic elections in this nation have been voided by the President and opposition party leaders have been jailed. Some opposition leaders have been executed. Demonstrators have taken to the streets and there have been reports of tanks rolling in , firing on the crowds with many casualties.Opposition leaders are appealing to the United Nations and the OAS to intervene and stop the future spread of mass violence. Refugees are pouring across the borders into Guatemala and Mexico.
Because of your expert analysis and expertise in the conflict in Bosnia, you have been asked to study the current crisis and propose effective preventive actions.
Obviously this situation is at a flashpoint.
What effects to alleviate risk factors at the flashpoint would your committee suggest now?
What early reactions to signs of trouble would your committee have taken?
What efforts to resolve the root causes of the conflict would your committee have taken?
In answering all three (3) questions your committee is asked to use all measures at the disposal of the international community, ie; tools of foreign policy, International Organizations. NGO’s and individual sovereign nation states. Your committee must support each area with a minimum of three (3) recommendations, citing specific historic examples of the success or failure of these attempts.
Your committee will be making a formal presentation of recommendations to the United Nations Committee on Preventing Deadly Violence.
Your task will be completed when you have prepared the following:
1. A well organized, neatly prepared newsprint poster outlining your recommendations in all three areas. (Minimum three recommendations for each area.)
2. A completed, typed recommendation/rationale based on historical examples.
3. An organized oral presentation that explains your recommendations.
There are 3 ethnic groups in Extremadura. Creole make up 10% of the population and are descendants of the Spanish colonizers. Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian) make up 70% of the population and Amerindian make up 20% of the population.
Most people are Roman Catholic in their religion. Some Protestantism and traditional Mayan religion are found, particularly in the Indian population.
The literacy rate is 52%. The literacy rate is much higher among the male population than female population. A much higher literacy rate is found among the Creole population and a much lower literacy rate is found among the Indian population. Life expectancy is 62 years. 44 years for the Indian population.
The society is male dominated with women in second class roles.
Over the last fifty years a larger middle class has risen as the Mestizo population has increased its wealth from employment in non-agricultural areas and higher education, particularly in the urban industrialized centers of Extremedura.
Most notably Extremadura is a landlocked country located in the tropics of Central America. It is surrounded by six nations and is dependent upon them for the exportation of their agricultural products.
The land is basically mountainous but because of its tropical location the rainfall and hot temperatures maintain a lush forested area. Trade in lumber is an integral part of the nation’s economy as well as the production of cash crops such as bananas and coffee. The climate is ideal for the growing of marijuana and coca, a plant that is produced into cocaine.
Due to the mountainous nature of the country, rivers are short and are not navigable. Thus, natural locations for cities are difficult to find. The rivers offer the possibility for increased hydro-electric power, but the current economy has not supported much industrial growth. The mountains do however offer potential, as large supplies of copper ore can be found.
Extremadura’s capital, Cortez City, has a population of three million and is located in a large valley surrounded by mountains. Agriculture is the dominant activity in the country along with forestry. Historically, the area has been affected by volcanic activity and earthquakes, which is a common problem to most Central American countries.
Extremadura’s early government reflected the experience of most Central American countries in that it was ruled by a foreign European government. In most cases a European governor ruled the nation, loyal to the monarch and administering by royal decree. Government ministers were either appointed Europeans, or Creoles, who were of European ancestry but born in Extremadura. For three centuries the tradition of colonial governing in the hands of Europeans was the rule until the revolution of 1820.
The revolution of 1820 resulted in the severing of ties with Europe, and a series of revolutionary governments espousing democracy were attempted. This often led to coups, but over time some of the principles of democracy became ingrained in the system. Currently the country has a constitutional democracy, with free elections, voting for a president and a parliament. Throughout the years this government has been dominated by the Bolivar Conservative Party who sought a continuance of traditional structures, and resisted most reforms.
A court system loyal and sympathetic with the power of the president exists. All judges are appointed by the presidency, therefore their loyalties often side with the executive branch.
One party politics has dominated the country for over one hundred years, but opposition parties are allowed to exist and participate. Recently these parties have gained in influence, as they have received support from the surrounding countries. These groups are strongly anti-Western and anti-American, because the United States has supported the Bolivar Party over the years. During the Cold War the United States strongly supported the Bolivar Party as America sought stability in the region for their own interests, and the Bolivars were fiercely anti-Communist.
Since the collapse of the Cold War, the United States has started to distance itself from the Bolivar Party because of its political repression. However, the United States has not supported opposition parties because of recent rumored connections of opposition party members to Latin American drug lords. As a result, the opposition parties have armed themselves, fearful of government repression.
The Mayan culture thrived in Extremadura from the fourth century AD until the Spaniards arrived in 1524. Cortez and a band of conquistadors armed with guns and disease crushed the Mayans in a short but vicious campaign and renamed the narrow strip of land Extremadura. After eliminating all resistance the Spanish immediately set the large native population to work in the mines and the large plantation-type farms. During the first two decades of Spanish rule the Indian population was drastically reduced by disease and exploitation. As their numbers decreased dramatically the survivors frequently intermarried with the Spanish. This diffusion of cultures created a Mestizo (mixed) society which would eventually make up the majority of the population. As a result of this diffusion a new social structure emerged.
The Creoles (full-blooded Spaniards born in the Americas) were at the top, owning most of the plantations and mines; next in line were the Mestizos or Landinos (mixed Spanish and Indian extraction) who were the lower middle classes and working poor; and at the bottom of the social ladder were the indigenous Indians, who were abused and exploited as slaves. The Creoles would continue to control the riches of the country (land, resources, etc.) and exploit the lower classes well into the twentieth century. Extremadura’s independence from Spain came in 1821. It was immediately annexed by Mexico along with other Central American Countries. In 1823, there was a revolution in Mexico that allowed Extremadura to decide their own fate. Shortly after that Extremadura entered into the United Provinces of Central America, a federation of 6 states designed to promote unity and prosperity for the region. The differences between the provinces of Central America proved to be too great and the union dissolved in 1838. From this period until the 1970’s Extremadura’s history was plagued by frequent civil wars and authoritarian governments.
During the period from 1910 until the 1990's, Extremadura desperately needed money, and foreign investment was sought. The United States, through the Great Banana Company intervened and became a powerful political and economic force in Extremadura. The United States often supported repressive governments of the Bolivar Party to gain economic advantages for the Great Banana Company. Later, European investors also gained influence in Extremadura, but little of the wealth created went to the middle class or the Indians, as a powerful elite continued to hold on to the corrupt Bolivar Party governments. The people of Extemadura lived in fear and felt betrayed by foreign powers, especially the USA, which was strongly suspected of providing the Bolivar government troops with both training and weapons.
In 1990, Ernesto Pampas, the current Bolivar leader died of a massive heart attack. This left the door open for competing political groups who sought to rule Extremadura. The Bolivar Party had control of the army so it was only natural that they assumed power first. Fearing widespread civil war, the Bolivars quickly announced that they hold free parliamentary elections in two weeks for the people of Extremadura. Two months later, when they failed to deliver the elections, riots broke out all over the country. The opposing political parties armed themselves and vowed to overthrow the corrupt government that now ruled their country. The Bolivar government has decided to disarm its opponents and declare martial law until order is restored. Extremadurans recognize the beginnings of another bloody civil war and flee to the countryside or to another country altogether. Many of the older citizens fear this could be the worst conflict yet. They have never seen so many deadly weapons and so many civilians willing to use them.
Will Extremadura, like its neighbors Guatemala and El Salvador, repeat history and live through yet another deadly conflict?
What can the world do to stop it?
If you had the power or the resources what would you do to stop it?