Introduction
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organized groups.
By Fred Yeegbeh, Jr. contributing writer
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
In the study of international relations, there are various terminologies that can be used instead of the term 'war'. This article discusses six different words that can be used in place of war from the concept of international relations with examples.
- Crisis -- In the context of international relations, a crisis can be defined as a situation where there is a perception of threat, heightened anxiety, expectation of possible violence and the belief that any actions will have far-reaching consequences (Lebow, 7-10).-
Dr. Congo Crisis
Background
The triggering events behind the "Congo crisis" were the mutiny of the army (the Force Publique) near Léopoldville on July 5 and the subsequent intervention of Belgian paratroopers, ostensibly to protect the lives of Belgian citizens.
Adding to the confusion was a constitutional impasse that pitted the new country's president and prime minister against each other and brought the Congolese government to a halt. In the Congo's first national elections, Lumumba's MNC party had outpolled Kasavubu's ABAKO and its allies, but neither side could form a parliamentary coalition.
- Revolution -organized opposition to authority ; a conflict in which one tries to gain control from another
Haiti Revolution
Background
The Haitian Revolution was a successful insurrection by rebellious self-liberated enslaved Africans against French colonial rule in Saint-Dominguez, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was one of the only known slave rebellions in human history that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery (though not from forced labour) and ruled by former captives.
The revolt began on 22 August 1791, and ended in 1804 with the former colony's independence.
.
- Uprising
Soweto Uprising
Background
The Soweto uprising, also known as the Soweto riots or the Soweto rebellion was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa during apartheid that began on the morning of 16 June 1976.
Students from various schools began to protest in the streets of the Soweto Township in response to the introduction of Afrikaans, considered by many black South Africans as the "language of the oppressor", as the medium of instruction in black schools. It is estimated that 20,000 students took part in the protests. They were met with fierce police brutality, and many were shot and killed. 176 pupils had been killed in Soweto by the end of June 16. The uprising sparked unrest throughout South Africa, with 575 deaths from violence by the end of February 1977.
- Outbreak- a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence ( usually of some undesirable condition )
Example: Mali Coup of 2021
Nine months prior to the 2021 coup, in August 2020, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was removed from power by a group of military officers. This followed months of unrest in Mali following irregularities in the March and April parliamentary elections and outrage against the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cissé. On 18 August 2020, members of the military led by Colonel Assimi Goïta and Colonel-Major Ismaël Wagué in Kati, Koulikoro Region began a mutiny. President Keïta and Prime Minister Boubou Cissé were arrested, and shortly after midnight Keïta announced his resignation, saying he did not want to see any bloodshed.
Following Keïta's resignation, on behalf of the military officers, Wagué announced the formation of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), and promised to hold elections in the near future. On 12 September 2020, CNSP agreed to an 18-month political transition to civilian rule. Shortly after, Bah N'daw was named interim president by a group of 17 electors, with Goïta being appointed vice president. The government was inaugurated on 25 September 2020.
On 18 January 2021, the transitional government announced that the CNSP had been disbanded, almost four months after it had been promised under the initial agreement.
- Rebellion- an organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one tries to gain control from another.
Example: The Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya
Background
The Mau Mau rebellion (1952-1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt, or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920-1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the Mau Mau, and the British authorities. Dominated by Kikuyu, Meru and Embu fighters, the KLFA also comprised units of Kamba and Maasai who fought against the European colonists in Kenya -- the British Army, and the local Kenya Regiment (British colonists, local auxiliary militia, and pro-British Kikuyu).
- Insurgency - An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands that practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority.
Example: al Shabab Insurgency in Somalia
Background
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahedeen, simply known as al-Shabaab, or by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Somalia, is a Sunni Islamist militant and political movement based in Somalia. It is involved in the ongoing Somali Civil War as an Islamist group, regularly invoking takfir to rationalize its terrorist attacks on Somali civilians and civil servants. Allied to the pan-Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda, it is also in a more limited capacity active elsewhere in East Africa, and has forged ties with other insurgent groups like AQIM and AQAP.
It was established in the mid-2000s as a youth militia within the wider military wing of the Islamic Courts Union.
"Mali suspended from African Union, threatened with sanctions". Al Jazeera. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^ "Abukar Ali Adan". Rewards for Justice. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
^ "Abukar Ali Adan". United Nations Security Council. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
^ "Al-Shabab Spokesman Addresses Hundreds In Graduation Ceremony". MEMRI. 20 September 2022.
^ "Mali President, PM Resign After Arrest, Confirming 2nd Coup in 9 Months". VOA News. 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
^ a b "Assimi Goita: Mali military leader sworn in as interim president". Al Jazeera. 7 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
^ a b "France resumes joint military operations in Mali". Al Jazeera. 3 July 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
^ a b Anderson 2005, p. 5.
^ a b c "UN calls for immediate release of Mali President Bah Ndaw". BBC News. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021.
^ David Elstein (7 April 2011). "Daniel Goldhagen and Kenya: recycling fantasy".
^ Durrani, Shiraz. Mau Mau, the Revolutionary, Anti-Imperialist Force from Kenya, 1948-63: Selection from Shiraz Durrani's Kenya's War of Independence: Mau Mau and Its Legacy of Resistance to Colonialism and Imperialism, 1948-1990. Vita Books, 2018.
^ Mohamed, Hamza (6 September 2014). "Somalia's al-Shabab names new leader". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
^ Newsinger, John (1981). "Revolt and Repression in Kenya: The "Mau Mau" Rebellion, 1952-1960". Science & Society. 45 (2): 159-185. doi:10.1177/003682378104500202. JSTOR 40402312.
^ Nissimi 2006, p. 11. "How is the Term "Armed Conflict" Defined in International Humanitarian Law?" (PDF). International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC. April 2024. pp. 13-14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
About the author
Born on April 12, 1987, Fred Yeegbeh, Jr is currently a student of International Relations, IR, at the Cuttington University School of Graduate and Professional Studies, Global Affairs and Policy Department. He earned his undergraduate degree Sociology from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University in 2016.
Concept and Theories of International Relations, (MAIR 605) is taught by Dr. Akiah Glay P. , with cover provided by Cllr. Phil Tarpeh Dixon.
