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| by
Sharon
Wiharta
and Ian Anthony About the authors |
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* Chapter
summary from the SIPRI Yearbook 2003: Eight of the
21 major armed conflicts ongoing in 2002 have been selected—Chechnya
(Russia), Colombia, Israel–Palestinians, Nepal, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Sudan—to allow
for a more thorough and analytical discussion. The first four
conflicts, which intensified substantially during 2002, underlined
the continuous evolution in the methods of war fighting. The
latter four are cases of conflict that came close to achieving
a resolution in 2002. This was the
first full year in which the effects of the September 2001 terrorist
attacks in the USA could be properly assessed and, although no
definite conclusions can be drawn at this time, there is evidence
that they have had a direct impact on most of the conflicts examined.
In Africa, the USA, concerned by possible links between cells
of the al-Qaeda network and Islamic fundamentalist organizations
in the region, paid a greater level of attention to developments
in the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia. This resulted in the application
of considerable pressure on the warring parties in both conflicts
to come to a negotiated settlement. By the end of 2002, there
were prospects for resolutions to both conflicts. External influences,
such as diplomatic pressure or promises of military, foreign,
and humanitarian aid, played a large role in changing the dynamics
in both groups of conflicts. War-weariness, financial disincentives
arising from the fighting and some internal pressure were also
important reasons for the parties involved in the Sri Lankan
and the Sudanese conflicts to agree to negotiations.
Appendix
2B, by Mikael Eriksson,
Margareta Sollenberg and Peter Wallensteen, gives definitions,
sources and methods for the conflict data.
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