In my opinion, we as humans share a certain characteristic: insecurity, an insecurity that compels us to fight for survival, especially since, according to Samuel P. Huntington, “world politics is entering a new phase,”[1] with the emergence of new global markets and the “shrinking” of the world, thanks to globalization. The insecurity manifests itself in ways that can be extremely divisive in society, namely along ethnic or religious lines, or in the desire for capital and wealth, which translates to status and power in our modern social structure.

In the first case, people are insecure about their status as a human being, yearning for significance, not willing to accept their insignificance as just another homo sapiens on planet earth. Organizing along lines of ethnicity and religion give people a sense of solidarity and importance, as well as a “just” and “noble” cause in times of action. I have always been the one to say that both ethnicity and, especially, institutionalized religion are behind many of history’s conflicts, particularly, and most notably, some of its most violent episodes. Huntington has a similar view and expands to an even broader scope. In “The Clash of Civilizations,” Huntington examines inter-civilization relations as the main cause of conflict, focusing upon the all-encompassing aspect of a civilization, a “cultural entity” defined by its “language, history, religion, customs, institutions, and…subjective self-identification of people.”[2]

In the second case, people are insecure about their material security in a world where money, or capital, has been quasi-deified. A Marxist I am not, but to deny the influence of and desire for capital as, quite possibly, the paramount driving force in modern history would be silly. In their “Manifesto of the Communist Party,” Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels point out that “capital is therefore not only personal; it is a social power.”[3] It seems to be true that those with the money have the power, and this assumption has instilled in many an unmitigated ambition that has drives them to scramble, often violently, for this (now) universal source of power.

While I agree with both of these views, it is difficult to reconcile the two, as one calls upon the human social and psychological need and the other upon human greed. However, Paul Collier, in his piece “Ethnic Diversity: An Economic Analysis,” provides us with a solution. Collier basically states that while ethnic and religious diversity can create conflict in particular contexts, a capital-driven motive often comes hand in hand. For instance, rebel groups may organize on kinship/tribal lines that are ethnically or religiously charged, but they need financial resources to survive. Collier cites examples such as the civil war in Sierra Leone where the leader of the rebel group, RUF, was offered the position of Vice President but chose, rather, the Chairman of the Council of Mineral Resources, as diamonds are a primary commodity. If the leader had been solely concerned with an “ethnic victory,” he would’ve chosen the Vice Presidency; obviously, the war was driven, not just by ethnic tensions, but also material incentive. Similar cases are cited in Collier’s essay, including the secession of Biafra in Nigeria, which occurred following the finding of oil reserves in the Biafra region. While there were regional, ethnic justifications, it seems as though the material motives were more of an influence than anything. Even the conquistadores of the 15^th and 16^th centuries were charged with the mission to proselytize the New World in the name of Catholicism, but had the overriding ambition to gain wealth and capital from the economic potential of their colonies.

In reading these texts, I feel, now, that people tend to organize on ethnic and/or religious lines, but much of the conflict blamed upon these more “intrinsic” elements has an evident motive for material gain. Basically, society splits and sticks with its own kind to feel special and unique and it pursues material greatness to survive and dominate, often using its ethnic/religious identity as a gloss over the greed.

---

[1] Huntington, Samuel. "A Clash of Civilizations?" Foreign Affairs (Summer 1993). Found in, O'Neil, Patrick, and Ronald Rogowski. Essential Readings in Comparative Politics. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2006, p 105.

[2] Huntington, 106.

[3] Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” Found in, O'Neil, Patrick, and Ronald Rogowski. Essential Readings in Comparative Politics. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2006, p. 353.