Question

In this unit, you read about transitions of power and the formation of newly independent nations in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East. Some of these transitions were peaceful, while others caused long-term instability. Why do you think some countries were more successful than others with political transitions? What do you think were the biggest challenges facing newly independent countries? Would it have been possible for leaders to prevent these problems before they happened? Why or why not?

Answer 1

There are many reasons why some countries were in fact better in political transitions. In my opinion, one of the main reasons is the state of the government and country at the time of the transition. If nationalism was high in the country, that could make for a much smoother transition with minimal arguments and conflicts. Also, the laws, cultures, leaders, and political systems also play a major part. If the new system at least respected the culture and law that protected citizens' rights, it would lead to an extremely smooth transition from one political system to another. This also means respecting the religion of the country and the language. If a new political system was put in place and disrespected any of these major factors, it could lead to an extremely rough transition or even stop the transition altogether. It could also lead to high tensions and major conflicts which greatly affect the transition. Many new independent countries face many challenges. However, some of the main challenges include:

• creating a stable and strong political system
• creating and enforcing fair laws
• land (including fights over land)
• money and the economic situations of the independent country

All of these can lead to the growth of the nation or the fall of it. If the nation has a strong political system then it is less likely to be attacked in order to transition into a better system. If the country has fair laws and can enforce said laws, there would be minimal unrest in the citizens. If the independent country does not have enough land, then it can not grow enough to become a stable nation and the threats of being attacked are greater. Lastly, if the economic situation of the independent country is already not great at the start, there is little to no chance of it improving quickly, it could take years for it to even start to fix itself. This also leads to the country not being able to advance as quickly as major and older countries which lead to it falling behind and the new nation having a higher chance of being invaded and taken over. It is possible for a leader to prevent these problems and lead to a better country that is able to grow and advance normally. All the leader has to do is lead the country peacefully and fairly. As well as being responsible for the country's spending. As long as a leader does this, then the factors will lead to the country's growth and lead a better country.

Answer 2

In modern History, there are two phases of decolonization: first, an early stage in which Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas got their independence at the beginning of the 19th century. Second, after WWII, most British, French, Belgian and other European powers colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East got their independence.

Through this process of decolonization, some countries were relatively more successful than others due to different variables and characteristics. Decolonization, in general terms, is a complex and violent process in which new nations are created. It involves the creation and imposition of nationalities based on ethnic and religious elements, one common language, the suppression of cultural and religious minorities. Moreover, many of the newly independent countries in Africa and the Middle East were established according to the borders created by the European colonizers, which did not have into account the local borders between ethnic groups and local cultures. Also, the fact that decolonization took place during the Cold War added more political conflict to this complex process, many new countries lied on one of the two sides of the global conflict. For all these reasons, it would have been very difficult for leaders to prevent these problems before they happened. Gandhi tried to avoid an eventual conflict between Muslims and Hindus, but he could not and the division between India and Pakistan happened very soon.

Long-term instability born from the formation of newly independent countries can be seen today in the ongoing conflicts between India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestinian people, permanent instability in the Middle East, and failed states in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On the other side, examples of successful transitions can be seen in the Persian Gulf countries, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which could establish strong states and stable societies without going through big challenges and conflicts. In this case, it is due to the fact that these countries lack heterogeneous societies that were present in other Middle Eastern countries, in African countries or India.