Thursday, August 16, 2007
Cultural Barriers
Watching Ghosts of Rwanda yeasterday in the lecture, I couldn't help but feel annoyed at the social following and rejection that took place. Particuarlly with countries wanting to pull out their troops, but as they did not want to be socially shunned they convinced other countries to do so at the same time in order to avoid a possible 'reputation' (one which they inevitably gained anyway). While I recognise that the leadership of a country would be a mammoth job with an unthinkable amount of pressure and hard line decisions to make, I was alarmed to hear that other countries were so easily led.
They then determined that they were not able to help as their government policy stated that they were not to involve themselves. However thinking to the september 11 terrorist attacks in the US for example the fight this has still not ended nearly six years later. Why is there this indiscrepancy? Is the sociocultural / racial barrier so thick that we are unable to assist in times of such turbulance? So my question is: to what extent do cultural barriers exist? Does anyone know of any theories or research which has been conducted in the area of this divide?
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2 comments:
Hi Carla,
Thanks for pointing out and questioning the discrepancy with regard to the lack of international help in Rwanda 1994 v.s the (so-called) "help" heaped into Iraq since 2003.
My comment/suggest is not really around cultural barrier theory, it more around the basics of behaviourism.
I found this comment in Ghosts of Rwanda enlightening:
"A congressional official responsible for Africa gave me an explanation which was discouraging but also enlightening. He said, "MONIQUE MUJAWAMARIYA: [through interpreter] Listen, Monique, the United States has no friends. The United States has interests. And in the United States, there is no interest in Rwanda. And we are not interested in sending young American Marines to bring them back in coffins. We have no incentive." (transcript)
The GOR film also points out the US was negatively reinforced (punished) by Mogadishu in Somalia, when militia brought down US peacekeeping helicoptor(s?).
So, one explanation is that lack of the incentive to intervene (whereas there is incentive (resources, power, etc.) to intervene in the Middle East. Another is the previous negative reinforcement when helping.
We'll tackle more around why and when people help (altruism) in the final lecture.
I had the same thoughts when considering why the US did not intervene in Rwanda but went in with all guns blazing in Iraq - the incentive, the interest.
Seems like moral responsibility, honour, protection, empathy, saving lives, etc are not strong enough incentives to get involved in another nation's conflicts.
Of course, there was the situation in Somalia to consider which occurred not very long before Rwanda - so it would be very hard to decide to take the same action again and risk the same result - imagine the outcry from American citizens - "didn't you learn from last time?".
I also understand the predicament of not enforcing Western power and values on other nations - just look at the reaction after Iraq - nobody's thanking Bush for his decision to intervene. And I don't think it's just the issue of the US's real "interest", what they might gain from it materialistically/economically. I think it is also an issue of involving a third party in the conflict and assuming the third party is superior in its values and beliefs. This undermines the citizens of that country - suggesting they are not capable of making their own decisions or rules for their society.
I believe I heard in a news report at some stage after the invasion of Iraq, some Iraq people saying they don't feel much better off, the country is in chaos, and that they would have preferred support in letting them make decisions for themselves and having some say in what happens next.
I think this is also a major issue with the government intervention in the remote Aboriginal communities. Support in assisting Aboriginal leaders gain control and respect from their communities would have been better than military force which resembles the white invasion of Australia all over again.
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