Questions tagged [civil-war]

For questions about conflict between different factions within a country. For questions about war between countries please use the [armed-conflict] tag.

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Why would the US have started the civil war in Ethiopia?

The Eritrean leader Isaias Afwerki constantly refers to "TPLF and their masters in Washington" nowadays. Why Afwerki is upset with the US is pretty clear because the US demanded that ...
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Why is the scale of ethnic conflicts so different in India vs African countries. Does it have to do with democratic institutions?

India and countries of Africa are equally diverse. However almost every African country has been plagued with genocidal level ethnic conflicts and disruptive civil wars. Central African Republic for ...
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When is violent civil unrest defined as a civil war?

Given the recent civil unrest in the United States, where after three months of rioting, protesters and counter-protesters have begun shooting each other on the streets with at least three dead, I ...
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What are the arguments against abolishing the Confederate flag?

Disclaimer: I am not American, but I do follow American politics. I know what the Confederacy was, what the Civil War was, and so on. Here's the question: What specifically are the arguments in ...
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What did Trump mean when he called Lincoln's legacy 'questionable'? [closed]

So yesterday Trump said this: I think I’ve done more for the black community than any other president. And let’s take a pass on Abraham Lincoln, because he did good, although it’s always ...
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Why were most of the Arab spring revolutions followed by civil wars?

Why were most of the Arab spring revolutions followed by civil wars? Why did the US and EU either sell weapons or give military support to the warring parties?
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Who are the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels?

There have been during past days many opportunities to highlight the role of Turkey-backed Syrian rebels in military operations. There are operating against both Kurdish and Assad forces. In this ...
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2 answers
184 views

In what respect exactly is Turkey accusing Russia of violating their agreement in Syria?

Breaking news on the BBC is that Assad's army and Turkey's military have exchanged significant shelling in the past couple of days. It's also mentioned that: In 2017, Turkey and Russia signed a "...
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Is there a clear pair of lists of [present] foreign supporters of the two (major) sides in the Libyan civil war and the extent of their support?

The conflict pits powerful General Khalifa Haftar against the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Apparently Turkey backs the GNA (with troops now) and Egypt plus a few other Arab states ...
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Is Qatar still backing any sides in the Yemen conflict?

There are some news from 2015 that back then Qatar was deploying 1,000 troops in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition. But after Qatar's 2017 fallout with the Saudis and much of the Arab world, ...
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1 answer
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Why are some formerly pro-government militants now fighting alongside the Houthis?

CNN says some militias formerly allied with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government have turned on it and now effectively fight alongside the Houthis. It's not very clear however from the report, which is ...
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Why are there never-ending wars in the Middle East?

War seems to be a normal daily routine in the Middle East, the war in Iraq, Syria... Why are these countries not normal? Or is it due to external powers keeping those countries at constant wars in ...
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Has Ukraine implemented section 11 of the Minsk II agreement?

The Minsk II Agreement calls for (2) Pull-out of all heavy weapons by both sides to equal distance with the aim of creation of a security zone on minimum 50 kilometres (31 mi) apart for artillery ...
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Is revolution possible anymore? [closed]

When a government ceases to serve its citizens or becomes hostile to them, it is the right of the people to rise up and replace it. This has happened many times in history. But several lifestyle ...
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Why is it a bad idea to hire a hitman to eliminate most corrupt politicians?

According to an article I read recently (I could not find it though), the easiest way to take down a big authority is by cutting the head - meaning the uppermost level of control of that authority - ...
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1 answer
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What are the primary source records which document the reasons for President Andrew Johnson's voiding of Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15?

William T. Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15 Order by the Commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GA., January 16th, 1865. SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, No. ...
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1 answer
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How can Telcos operate in a warzone? (e.g. Syria)

Not sure if this is the correct community for such a question, but I have been wondering for years how it is possible that e.g. people inside ISIS controlled territory continued to have internet ...
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What are the legal/political uses of the American Civil War as a precedent?

I was reading an article about attorney general Jeff Sessions addressing the state of California regarding the state's recent laws on immigration. In summary, these laws make it illegal for a private ...
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1 answer
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Syria: Why Is There A Civil War There? [closed]

Wikipedia characterizes the current war in Syria as a civil war: The Syrian Civil War (Arabic: الحرب الأهلية السورية‎, Al-ḥarb al-ʼahliyyah as-sūriyyah) is an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict ...
29 votes
4 answers
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What method can be used to estimate the likelihood of a civil war?

I've noticed increasing talk of civil war in the UK since the referendum: "Brexit tensions could lead to 'blood on the streets' as part of 'CIVIL WAR', warns peer" — https://www.express.co.uk/news/...
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Would Article 5 of NATO apply in case Catalonia attempts to secede from Spain by force?

For many years now Catalonia has been attempting to peacefully secede from Spain through a binding referendum. However the Spanish authorities are constantly undermining their efforts by not accepting ...
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Where did all the Confederate Statues come from?

Why are there so many Confederate Statues in the United States? The Confederate States LOST the Civil War so why are there so many statues to people who tried to break up the country and lost? I've ...
11 votes
5 answers
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Why don't Western powers support Bashar al-Assad since it now became clear most of the opposition is not in support of democratic government?

In the beginning of the Syrian Civil War the Western powers supported the Syrian opposition on principles of democracy and self-determination. However 6 years later it's now clear that most of the ...
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What is Putin's stance on United States invading Syria and overthrowing the Assad regime? [duplicate]

Rex Tillerson said that steps are underway to remove the Assad regime. The United States has also accused Assad of using chemical weapons, yet provided no clear evidence or documentations other than ...
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Is there a correlation between terrorism and invasion of the Middle East?

We have witnessed the rise of many terrorist organizations. From Al-Qaeda to the Taliban, Al-Shabaab and now the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria which spawned from the war in Syria. They recently ...
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1 answer
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What is the point of political repression from the government's point of view?

In Iraq Ba'athist repressed the rest of population like keeping important positions only available to Ba'ath party . They ended up with terrible civil war. In Syria repression is done by Alawites. And ...
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What's the United States plan for post-Assad Syria? [closed]

What strategic plan do US and NATO have IF Assad steps down? Are they trying to replace the Assad regime with a more 'pro' western regime? I'm hoping it doesn't turn into another Iraq/Afghanistan.
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Separatists against National Army -> Civil War?

As an European citizen, the Ukrain war happening now is worrying me. On side, the official Armed Forces of Ukraine and the separatists on the other side. Is this a civil war? This is a little ...
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Was there any war Russia has ignited that was NOT explained by its "support" of a newly-created "People's Republic"?

This excerpt of a Russian newspaper says: On December 4 {1939}, comrade Molotov has telegraphed to Avenol. In his answer, he stated that there are no reasons for raising "Finnish question", since ...
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2 answers
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Why are some groups saying that the US supports the Syrian Rebels?

As far as I know, the only support the US has sent to rebel groups is only non-military aid in the form of foodstuffs, GPS equipment, radios, etc. and training for personel of some rebel groups. But ...
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1 answer
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How can the two sides in syrian conflict be defined? [closed]

After somewhat of research, I have found that there are many sides of the syrian conflict.For example Attack on specific side of streets occupied by specific tribes by military shows a shia vs sunni ...
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Did the Civil War in the USA settle the matter on secession?

Did the Civil War in the USA settle the matter of secession once and for all?