THE ROOTS OF CONFLICT IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION - DYNAMICS AND IMPACTS
The importance of the study comes in that the conflicts in the Great Lakes region are essentially of a dynamic and complex nature, and this involving multiple and intertwined regional and international actors. The study aimed to research and focus on the root causes of the conflict in the Great Lakes region and impacts of those dimensions on societal dynamics and the role of ethnic and racial ties in the growth of conflict. The study discussed a number of questions, including: Do the region's economic wealth and resources have a role in the growth, and continuation of the conflict? Why do foreign powers and international ambitions seek to prolong the conflict in the region? As for the main problem of the study, Is the colonial factor one of the causes of conflict in the region? There are several assumptions on which the study relied, that the more national and regional initiatives fail, as deeper the international interventions and ambitions in managing the conflict, and there is a discrepancy between the ruling political system and the unity of the conflict in each region of the region. The study concluded with several results and recommendations, including: Inappropriate political systems, divisions of political forces and social components are one of the causes of conflict. The domestic imperatives of peace must prevail over the geopolitical interests of foreign powers, and the conflicts that occur within national borders in the region have different interests and root causes. It also recommended the need to intensify initiatives of peace and reconciliation between serious societal contexts and actors.
Keywords: The Great Lakes Region, The Conflicts, Dynamics and Impacts.