Monday, April 20, 2015
Virunga (required)
In the Netflix documentary Virunga, what is the source of much of the political violence in the Congo and surrounding the Virunga National Park? Is it primarily carried out by state or non-state actors? What are the major motivations for these groups? What is the best illustration of corporatism/patron-clientelism in the documentary? Why is this a good example? Identify three difficulties in reconstruction and economic development that are prevalent in Virunga and explain why they present such problems.
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In the documentary, Virunga, the source of the majority of the political violence in the Congo is coming from M23 rebels fighting against the regime. These rebels had infested the area and were pushing the government's troops back into the National Park. The M23 rebels are found in the east of the country and desire to overthrow the DRC regime and insert their own.
ReplyDeleteThe best illustration of patron-clientelism in the documentary was when government officials/national park officials that were in support of SOCO because they were bribed by SOCO, and in turn tried to get other national park officials to join them through bribery. This conveys the lack of legitimacy within the government as corruption was easily allowed to prosper within to reach many members of the national park services and maybe even national government officials (hence why they support SOCO though the park is a Cultural Heritage site). Exploitation of natural resources is one difficulty that Virunga faces because companies do not care about the integrity of the park, but rather just the profit they can gain. Another problem is the political instability of the country because without the government's backing for the parks, the National Park can be easily taken over by oil companies or rebel groups. The last problem is the corruption within the national park, undermining the authority and integrity of the park in favor of a short term financial decision.
The primary source of political violence was the M23 rebel group taking over eastern Congo. M23 consists of Congolese army soldiers who fought against the Congolese government. The name is a reference to the March 23, 2009 peace agreement between and the CNDP rebel group. M23 formed because they claim that the members of the CNDP weren’t fairly treated in the Congolese military (and lowkey because the government felt pressure to arrest their leader). M23’s published goal was to negotiate for more rights and conditions, which is presumably why they announced a ceasefire in late 2013 when the DRC agreed to work with them.
ReplyDeleteThe best illustration of corporatism or patron-clientelism was with Soco International and the DRC. It was explained in the documentary that the British company promised the DRC a bunch of economic and social benefits like hospitals and schools in return for access to oil. The only part of the deal that was evident was the search for petroleum in the national park. This was a good example because it showed the corruption of the DRC’s government and a trade off with foreign investors. Reconstruction and economic development in Virunga were plagued with problems, such as trying to protect the park even though the locals need resources to make a living. This was a challenge because the park director had to monitor economic development and try to protect the natural value of the Congo. Another difficulty was the corruption within the parks system because there were people within the government that sold out the potential resources to SOCO. This contributes to the illegitimacy and corporatism of the DRC. The final challenge in reconstruction was the number of displaced people by the rebel groups. This only hurts any potential of building a stable domestic front in the Congo.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20438531
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/11/2012112511326353348.html
In Virunga, most of the political violence came from rebel groups, non-state actors, who are against the government. The main rebel group is M23, which has the most backing and strongest militia, so even the Congolese army feel threatened by M23. The rebel groups are motivated by the rich mineral and oil resources Congo has to offer. Each rebel group wants to take control of the resources, leading to a chaotic cycle of violence in the area with new rebel groups being created periodically.
ReplyDeleteAn example of corporatism are large oil companies such as SOCO controlling the oil resource in Congo, with its supporters benefiting from SOCO. Their supporters range from the locals to militia groups who aid the oil company in controlling the oil supply. This shows the struggle of political and economic control in Congo due to its rich resources; so whoever controls the resources, controls the country. Difficulties of reconstruction and economic development are due to the weak political legitimacy Congo, history of imperialism, and the rich resources available for exploitation. Democratic ideals have not been fully established in the region, as seen with the cycle of military rule, leading to political instability. The rich resources motivate foreign players, making it harder to establish internal economic development.
The political violence in the Congo stems from the M23 conflict and the resistance towards oil exploration in the Virunga National Park. The M23 rebels took over most of the eastern Congo in response (or lack thereof) to the CNDP’s stagnation in implementing the peace deal. The violence is primarily carried out by non-state actors. The main motivations for these groups are the apparent corruption in government that initiate them to take action against said corruption in the Congo and the reserves of oil that can potentially be explored in the Virunga region. The highlight example of corporatism was SOCO International attempting to make a deal with the park officials, as they struck a deal to provide benefits in exchange for access to explore the land for oil. This example showed the corruption in the weak government as national park members allowed themselves to be bribed into such a deal, which eventually turned out to become unfulfilled on SOCO’s part. Potential oil reserves, illegitimate authority in the Congo, and corruption within the national park peoples threaten the existence of Virunga because they jeopardize the foundations on which the national park can thrive. Without security of land borders and a stable government, Virunga National Park will eventually lose its political battle with power-hungry foreign companies and local conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe source of much of the political violence in the Congo and surrounding the Virunga National park is the M23 conflict that took power away from the Congo government by driving the Congolese Army away from the city. It is primarily carried out by non-state actors because the government is trying to stop the rebel group but the army was chased out by the M23 rebel members. The army rebel group wanted better conditions in the army, and also wanted the government to implement the March 23 peace deal. Patron-clientelism is seen when the SOCO British Oil Company spokespeople bribed locals with money for them to support the SOCO Oil Drilling in the National Park. SOCO made direct deals with individuals instead of corporations or governments. Many of the difficulties include natural resource conservation because the companies do not care about the integrity of the park. It also includes political instability, because the park needs finances from the government or it might get taken over by foreign companies. The corruption as some of the park employees need money and support ideas against the park natural course of action.
ReplyDeleteIn the documentary a large proportion of the violence comes from the rebel group M23 fighting against the Congolese army. However, poachers are also a common problems within the national park. For the most part political violence is carried out by non-state actors who are motivated to overthrow the current government.
ReplyDeleteThe best example of corporatism/patron-clientelism is SOCO British Oil company bribing leaders in the area in order to gain control of supposed oil in the Virunga National park. Three difficulties in reconstruction and economic development in Virunga is weak state capacity, guerrilla warfare by M23, and exploitation by foreign companies and poachers.
Most of the violence in the documentary is caused by the M23 (Congolese Revolutionary Army) rebel group. This force can be considered a non-state actor because they oppose the actual government of the Congo. The rebel groups's goal is to make evident governmental corruption in the Congo, especially regarding the reserves of oil that can potentially be explored in the Virunga region. They also wanted the implementation of a March 23 peace deal. Patron-clientelism is seen when the SOCO British Oil Company spokespeople bribed locals with money for them to go agains the natural reserve and allow the SOCO Oil Drilling in the National Park. SOCO made shady deals with individuals, as opposed to the government of the Congo, which is a good example because of the lack of legitimacy in the government. Bribery, as exemplified here, is one of the difficulties in reconstruction and economic development that are prevalent in Virunga. Two more difficulties in reconstruction and economic development are the presence of oil in the lake (natural human greed) and the lack of legitimacy in the government.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was absent when we watched this documentary, I have seen bits and pieces of it and have done other research of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Virunga so I will attempt to answer whatever questions I can. The violent group M23 has fought against the Congolese army and taking away the power from the Congo government. The Congo’s history also has some effect on the political violence there is today such as the genocide in 1994 and Rwanda. People also try to harm the animals of the Congo in the Virunga park to get money off of their skin, fur, etc. These people are called poachers. Most of the political violence happens by non-state actors because they do not like the Congo government and want power over it instead. SOCO is a good example of patron-clientelism in the documentary because it exemplifies the corruption of the Congo by showing the act of deceit and bribery in order to get the DRC to join the British company and then the DRC doing the same to others. Problems came in vast amounts in regards to reconstruction and development, one being protecting the national park versus making money. Using the resources to the fullest and using the animals for things they shouldn’t be harmed for would have benefitted many people economically but it was not morally right or safe for nature. Also, the Virunga park sold and gave their natural resources to the control of SOCO which again showed the countries lack of legitimacy and also strong dependence on other countries. One other problem amongst many is M23 and other rebel groups. They hinder the DRC’s ability to grow and progress forward.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary shows that much of the political violence comes from rebel groups, non-state actors, with the most prominent group being M23. These rebel groups seek to gain more concessions and fighting for influence in the government and in the country. They also want concessions from the oil drilling. An example of corporatism in the documentary is the Congolese government granting the rights to oil drilling to a British company SOCO International under Lake Edward. The Congolese government grants these rights to SOCO in the hopes that it will turn the Congo into oil producers and bring revenue to the state. To gain support, SOCO has tried to bribe local officials and members of the Virunga Natinoal Park. Three main difficulties is the weak central government which has little, ineffective capacity, political instability and violence from the rebel groups, and the documentary shows that foreign corporations and nations have hindered the Congo's development by exploiting their resources. These are such great problems because the central government is prone to inefficiency and corruption, so they are unable to deal with the problems. The instability form the rebel groups pose another problem in that millions of people have died, which is especially prominent in the civil war. These rebel groups do not allow for peace and development to occur. Lastly, the Congo has a history of being exploited for the resources by foreign powers, so that they were never able to develop a stable, autonomous economy.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the political violence comes from the M23 rebel group surrounding the area. The rebel group wants to secure and control important borders, such as the Uganda border. They also want political influence and money from the possible oil drillings. They are seeking to overthrow the DRC.An example of corporatism/patron-clientalism in the film is when the state agreed to succeed Virunga for oil searches. This shows how Congo hopes to gain economic benefits by providing the British company SOCO exclusive rights to search in the Virunga park. Some difficulties include lack of legitimacy and corruption as SOCOPOworks primarily through making bribes. Another difficulty is that there is no guarantee Congo will have economic benefits as most of Africa's regions are prone to foreign explooitation. There is also no guarantee that they will find oil in the park and if they don't find any oil, there might be some instability.
ReplyDeleteIn the documentary Virunga the violence displayed occurred as a result of the rebel group M23 moving into the Congo. Essentially, the arrival of troops resulted in fighting between the legitimate Congolese army and the M23 rebels being pushed into the national park. The conflict was mostly carried out by non-state actors as seen in a willingness to gain a foothold (via corruption) in the government and to gain substantial control over the oil reserves found in the Congo even at the expense of the national park. The best example of corporatism/ patron clientilism is seen in SOCO and their exploitation of oil and those that aid them in doing such. This shows a split between politics and economy due to the fact that external forces through corruption have established themselves in both. Three difficulties in trying to restructure Virunga's economy is seen trying to acquire stability and gain power back from the rebel group which has essentially taken over. Furthermore, there is also difficulty in re establishing the park because that was a central aspect of the society. All of the illuminate forces contributes to the difficulty in implementing the Congolese government again. Overall, good flick.
ReplyDeleteThe source of the political violence in the Congo is the M 23 rebels fighting the Congolese government in Virunga national park. M 23 are nonstate actors who were unhappy with their treatment in the CNDP and broke away. Additionally they want to gain control of the Congos mineral and oil resources. The best example of patron clientelism was the deal between SoCo International and park officials to gain oil access, because it shows the level of corruption in the system which has led to issues such as increased political instability and illegitimacy. More and more rebel groups form to fight for preferential treatment, making the system less stable. It also causes the Congolese people and the international community to view the government as illegitimate. Another big issue is the environment, which is being neglected as corporations only care about their profits, and not their natural impact.
ReplyDeleteThe political violence in the Congo is due to the M23 rebels fighting with the Congolese troops in the Virunga National Park . The M23 are the main driving force behind the conflict who are made up of non-state actors that were unsatisfied with their treatment in government. In retaliation, the rebels are trying to gain power over the government in order to control the oil reserves in the country, even those found in the national parks. The best example of patron clientelism in the film was the undercover footage of a government official trying to persuade a park manager to allow the oil companies into the park to search for possible oil reserves in the park. This video clip in the film demonstrates the corruption found in the Congolese government with politicians being able to bee bought out by private companies. This corruption has ultimately led to he increased political instability and illegitimacy in the Congolese government. Three difficulties that are seen in Virunga is the increasing corruption seen in government officials that take money from SOCO, this leads to another difficulty seen in the fact that the people of the Congo begin to lose confidence in their own government which further leads to illegitimacy. Also, environmental issues are another difficulty to reconstruction because with more parks being lost to the oil industry, the country looses a valuable resource that the national parks can offer through tourism and other non-destructive activities.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the political violence afflicted in Congo and Virunga National Park is incited by M23 rebels, or members of the Congolese Revolutionary Army. M23 is a rebel military group operating against the Democratic Republic of Congo's government. As such, they are non-state actors. The M23 was formed in an effort to depose the government due to its inefficiency in protecting basic human rights and keeping the state army in good condition. Clientelism was evidenced in the documentary with the addition of footage showing how SoCo International was trying to make a deal with the park officials to let them have access to the park in order to assess the oil reserves. This is a good example because it shows how the weakening of the state undermines its ability to protect its own natural resources.Speaking of which, Virunga must protect its natural resources from investors that want to exploit them if it seeks to maintain the ecosystem that sustains its wildlife. They cannot afford to lost mountain gorillas at a small profit.Since the state government is in disarray, it is difficult to maintain or reconstruct the park ranger system that keeps the national park safe. This makes the park vulnerable to the M23. If the rebel group manage to take over the park, then it would be likely that they will allow investors to investigate for oil if it means they will have a significant source of revenue.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the political violence afflicted in Congo and Virunga National Park is incited by M23 rebels, or members of the Congolese Revolutionary Army. M23 is a rebel military group operating against the Democratic Republic of Congo's government. As such, they are non-state actors. The M23 was formed in an effort to depose the government due to its inefficiency in protecting basic human rights and keeping the state army in good condition. Clientelism was evidenced in the documentary with the addition of footage showing how SoCo International was trying to make a deal with the park officials to let them have access to the park in order to assess the oil reserves. This is a good example because it shows how the weakening of the state undermines its ability to protect its own natural resources.Speaking of which, Virunga must protect its natural resources from investors that want to exploit them if it seeks to maintain the ecosystem that sustains its wildlife. They cannot afford to lost mountain gorillas at a small profit.Since the state government is in disarray, it is difficult to maintain or reconstruct the park ranger system that keeps the national park safe. This makes the park vulnerable to the M23. If the rebel group manage to take over the park, then it would be likely that they will allow investors to investigate for oil if it means they will have a significant source of revenue.
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