Can Culture Cause Corruption

The word culture has many different meanings. For some, culture is the appreciation of food, literature, and art. For scientists a culture is a colony of bacteria that is later utilized in experiments. But for those of us who study international relations, culture is the behaviors and beliefs practiced by a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Although it is important to understand the values that influence the actions of people, it is crucial to expand our scope so that we may witness the way different cultures interact with one another on a global scale. Constructivism is the belief that international relations are reliant on the history and social construct of a people. Alexander Wendt, a core social constructivist has said constructivism explains that interaction with others will “create and instantiate one structure of identities and interests rather than another; structure has no existence or causal powers apart from process” (Wendt 1992: 394).

“States want to survive and be secure; neorealists and constructivists agree about that.” (Jackson 168). But what influences the policies behind a state’s desire to split into two separate nations? Wendt argues that the only way to find out is by studying identities of states and how they are shaped into policies that affect the interactions among sovereign nations. If we look back to July 14^th of this year we can see that the United Nations welcomed a new member state. For over thirty years a conflict existed within Sudan that has finally been resolved through the creation of the Republic of Southern Sudan. As we welcome the new nation, we are still left to contemplate an explanation for why a well established country would resort to a split. Many scholars have made educated assumptions that oil was at the root of the nation coming to this agreement. However, constructivists would disagree with that theory, and would suggest that creation of two separate nations was inevitable.

Sudan has been ravaged by civil war even before they gained independence from Britain in 1956. In 1955 the southerners of Sudan rebelled against the north because they saw an uneven amount of power being allotted to northern officials. A majority of the governmental positions went to the northerners. That same northern government later sought to impose Islamic law, on the non-Muslim south. The population of northern Sudan is mostly Arab, while the population of Southern Sudan is primarily African. This difference in demographics only expands in religious beliefs. The northerners are of a strong Islam background, where as the southerners would either keep their traditional African beliefs or would convert to Christianity. (Wilkinson, CNN)

The distinction between Sudan's Muslim and non-Muslim people has been of considerable importance in the country's history. Language differences have served as a basis for ethnic classification and as ethnic identity. The most widely spoken language in Sudan is Arabic, the language of Islam (David Klayton). The Qur’an is written in Arabic and it is essential for an Islamic nation to understand the writings of their religion. The northern government made Arabic the national language, and required every child to be taught it within school.

Despite Arabic's status as the official national language, English was acknowledged as the principal language in southern Sudan in the late 1980s. In early 1991, with the southern part of the country controlled by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the use of Arabic as a standard of instruction in southern schools remained a issue, with many southerners regarding Arabic as a component of northern cultural domination. (Society and Culture of Sudan)

For Northerners, Islam is not only a faith and a way of life; it is also culture and ethnic association with Arabism. For Southerners, Islam is not just a religion, but also Arabism is a racial and ethnic phenomenon that excludes them from their roots as black Africans and believers of Christianity and indigenous religions. “Race in the Sudan is not so much a function of color or features, but a state of mind, a case of self-perception; the North identifies as Arab, no matter how dark its people's skin color. Religion defines identity in both the Sudan's North and the South” (Francis M. Deng).

In 1962, the government enacted the Missionary Societies Act, regulating missionary activities. No missionary society could do missionary work in the Sudan, unless when in agreement with the terms of a license granted by the council of ministers. This license could then enforce whatever conditions the council of ministers might think fit (Alan Boswell).

This new policy provided an outlet for northern Sudan to control the religion most predominant in the south. By regulating their religion, the government would in turn be limiting the southerners’ culture. Essentially there would be no escape from a split, if the southerners wanted to be ensured their freedoms, and their beliefs. Critics state that the entire war has been centered on the grasp for power with religious overtones. I challenge this argument. These wars have been focused on establishing religious cultural freedom, with an overtone of a grasp for power. In order for the Sudanese people to guarantee their culture, they needed the power to defend their religious beliefs. The desire to control the majority of the oil in the nation was fashioned from the need to be financially sound. With economic power the Sudanese people would have a military force strong enough to defend against those who opposed their beliefs and acted as imminent threats.

Bibliography

Annonymous. "Sudan: Society and Culture." Sudan.Net: Your Complete Guide on Sudan. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Boswell, Alan. "South Sudan Votes for Independence; North Protests Al-Bashir Rule - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time Magazine, 31 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Deng, Francis M. "Sudan - Civil War and Genocide: Disappearing Christians of the Middle East :: Middle East Quarterly." Middle East Forum. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Jackson. "Chapter 6 Social Constructivism." Oxford Textbook, 30 June 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Klayton, David. "When One Nation Becomes Two." Political Review. 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Pflanz, Mike. "Sudan Split: 99 per Cent Vote Yes to Divide North from South." The Telegraph. 30 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .

Wendt, A. (1999). Social Theory of International Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress.

Wilkinson, By Peter. "Oil and Power at Center of Vote to Split Sudan - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. .