Week 12 #1

Question 1

What is religion and why can it cause conflict?

Answer 1

Religion is a system of beliefs and practices that gives identity and belonging. It causes conflict when groups compete over sacred land, interpret faith differently, or when majority/minority tensions and radical groups use religion to justify violence.

Question 2

Give one example of a religious conflict.

Answer 2

The Israel–Palestine conflict, where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian groups all claim the same land.

Question 3

What is ideology?

Answer 3

Ideology is a set of ideas and values about how society should be organized.

Question 4

Why does ideology lead to insecurity?

Answer 4

Because groups clash over competing visions of society, extremist beliefs fuel terrorism, and values feel non‑negotiable, making compromise difficult.

Question 5

Give one example of an ideological conflict.

Answer 5

The Russia–Ukraine war, driven by opposing views on sovereignty and geopolitical influence.

Question 6

What is ethnicity?

Answer 6

Ethnicity is a shared cultural identity based on ancestry, heritage, language, and traditions.

Question 7

Why does ethnicity cause conflict?

Answer 7

Groups may compete for power or resources, governments may favor one group over another, and historical grievances fuel violence.

Question 8

Give one example of ethnic conflict.

Answer 8

The Darfur conflict in Sudan between Arab militias and non‑Arab groups.

•	Arab militias (the Janjaweed) were supported by the Sudanese government
•	They fought against non-Arab rebel groups who accused the government of political and economic marginalisation
•	The conflict involved mass violence against civilians

Question 9

What is genocide?

Answer 9

Genocide is the deliberate destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Question 10

What acts are defined as genocide by the UN Convention?

Answer 10

Killing members of the group, causing serious harm, inflicting destructive living conditions, preventing births, or transferring children.

Question 11

Give one example of genocide.

Answer 11

The Rwandan genocide (1994), where 800,000–1 million people were killed.

Question 12

What is ethnic cleansing?

Answer 12

Ethnic cleansing is forcing an ethnic group to leave an area to make it ethnically uniform.

Question 13

How is ethnic cleansing different from genocide?

Answer 13

Genocide aims to destroy a group, while ethnic cleansing aims to remove them from a territory.

Question 14

What are Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)?

Answer 14

Nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons capable of killing thousands or millions.

Question 15

Why do WMDs cause insecurity?

Answer 15

They create fear, arms races between states, and risk catastrophic attacks if obtained by terrorists.