underdeveloped and instead, highly dependent, which considerably reinforced
global racial inequalities (Bernstein, 2021, p.3).
A recent example of the tribulations of colonialism for Africa is the ongoing
conflict in Sudan. Scholars have argued in regards to the previous conflicts in
Sudan that political violence and crisis are ‘neither new nor extraordinary nor
internal, but rather, crucial and constitutive dimensions of Sudan’s neo-colonial
condition’ (Ayers, 2010, p.153).
One can argue in light of this that the ongoing conflict has also embodied these
colonial legacies where again, power struggle is at the core. However, what
further embeds the notion that race plays a significant role within this conflict is
the disproportionate humanitarian aid received. It has been reported that Sudan
feel that the international community has not provided adequate assistance to the
crisis (Ahmed, 2023). This perceived inadequate humanitarian response can be
starkly measured against the current war in Ukraine whereby Western states have
provided an unprecedented level of attention, resources and even the opening of
borders to refugees (Pattison, 2022). Scholars argue that this highlights the
‘radical injustice of states’ previous reluctance to accept non-white refugees’ and
clearly underlines how states are prioritising the efforts to resist Russia, whilst
largely overlooking other major crises (Pattison, 2022, p.387).
When referring back to the Homer-Dixon model, one can therefore suggest that
his argument has limitations due to an ignorance towards the historical, political
and racial context that has impacted upon conflicts within underdeveloped and
colonised nations. While Homer-Dixon was right in linking conflict to
degradation and resource inequality, his argument that solutions should be found
through extending the Western model of liberal democracy, which is seen as both
stable and flexible, is ignorant of the legacies and history related to colonialism
48
Made with FlippingBook HTML5