Question

Describe the security challenges faced by the newly independent countries of Asia and Africa after the Second World War.

Explain any three security challenges faced by the newly independent countries of Asia and Africa after the Second World War.

Answer 1

The security challenges faced by the newly-independent countries of Asia and Africa after the Second World War were different from Europe in two ways:-

1. These new countries faced the prospect of military conflict with neighbouring countries.
2. These countries also had to worry about their internal military conflicts. These countries faced threats not only from outside their boundaries but also from within.
3. They had disputes and differences over borders and territories or control of people and populations or all of these simultaneously.
4. Within their boundaries, the new states were anxious and troubled about threats from separatist movements which were determined to have independent countries. Sometimes, internal and external threats came together.
5. There could be a neighbour which might assist or provoke an internal separatist movement leading to tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
6. This resulted in more than 95% of all armed conflicts fought anywhere in the world to be internal conflicts. There was a twelve-fold rise in the number of civil wars between 1946 and 1991.

Answer 2

Three Security Challenges Faced by Newly Independent Countries of Asia and Africa after the Second World War:

1. Internal Ethnic Conflicts: Many countries were different ethnicities and artificial colonial boundaries. Ethnic and communal tensions frequently resulted in civil wars, separatist movements, and political instability.
2. Military Coups and Dictatorships: These nations’ weak political institutions and lack of democratic traditions made them vulnerable to military takeovers. This disrupted democratic growth and often resulted in authoritarian control.
3. External Interference and Cold War Pressures: During the Cold War, newly independent states faced pressure to affiliate with the US or USSR. External interference threatened independence and often led to proxy Wars.