AN ANALYSIS OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT BY THE UNITED NATIONS IN THE

SINO-INDIA CONFLICT

ABSTRACT

The Sino-India conflict which started many years ago has till this day continued. It is one of the prominent issues in the Asian continent with two of the most powerful Asian States (India and China) have been in a border dispute even with efforts from the United Nations to help manage the conflict the tension between the two states remain high as possible clashes are unpredictable as they can happen me anytime. Violent clashes, public display of opposition targeting government and allies have continued to occur over the years and despite strategies from the United Nations to manage the conflict it hasn’t given a suitable outcome this, therefore, questions the effectiveness and capability of  the United Nations conflict management strategies. This dissertation analyzes the United Nations conflict management strategies in the Sino-India conflict employing research of other scholarly literature, also assesses the effectiveness of the efforts made United Nations to manage the Sino-India conflict. The dissertation concludes by recommending a need for the United Nations to employ sanction in the case of any breach in the agreement, to also use arbitral decisions.

CHAPTER ONE

 

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Study

Conflict is inevitable, in various situations individuals are bound to clash and have various opinions which may lead to various struggles and clashes. States are just like people, due to various national interests, norms, values, and believes the clash and when these problems occur, to stop it from escalating, the conflict needs to be managed and if possible stopped. The process of managing conflict is quite difficult because of various interests and opinions of the parties involved and this needs to be considered, however, the process of managing conflict is generally determined by the level of understanding about the conflict, to understand the conflict and problem the root cause of the conflict needs to be highlighted and addressed. The United Nation is an international organization which aims at providing peace, security and conflict management is also a means of ensuring peace. One of the primary missions of the United Nations is making sure that conflict is managed to avoid damages that could affect the international society. However, the United Nations has not been able to successfully manage the Sino-India conflict due to factors that could be traced to views, perceptions and even egos of the government, people and leaders. Both China and India are very strong and powerful countries both in Asia and the international system, over the years there has been growing enmity between the China and India troops and government this has also led to ripple effects.The United Nations conflict management aims at limiting or containing the conflict and ensuring that negative impacts are contained. The aim or goal of conflict management is to improve and possibly end a conflict and  is very important has it entails peaceful coexistence.

Kirchoff and Adam(1982) state that there are two major perspectives that are use to explain conflict, the traditional and the contemporary perspectives. The traditional states that conflicts are bad and are caused by trouble makers and should be subdued, while the contemporary states that conflicts are unavoidable as it in human nature to have disagreements ,disputes and conflicts this perspective thereby supports the structure of the theory of realism. Usually, there are three way n which conflicts can conclude these are: lose-lose, win-lose, and win-win. In the lose-lose ends at lost for both parties . A win-lose ends at only one party been victorious. The win-win solution arrived at by integrative bargaining may be close to optimal for both parties. This tends to create cooperation rather than a competition. India and China are two of the most populous states in the world, with China’s population of about 1,398 billion and India 1,366 billion (World Bank 2019) and are two of the largest Asian countries the share more than 37 percent labour of the total worlds population and 9 percent of it total geographical land. They are utilizing more than 20 percent of the worlds vitality and contributing nearly 10-17 percent of the worlds economy. For that reason, the rise of any tension or conflict between them becomes a centre of attention for many like strategic analyst, security thinkers, the media, human rights activist all over the globe and most especially to the United Nations. Due to this peace and stability between them is vital for soundness and intraregional network of the Asian region and world. The border conflict between China and India that has been going on since the year 1962 till date. India and China are currently fighting over a land area that can be split into the central and western sectors. The Sino-Indian border has never been formally drawn, as each country doesn’t agree on border boundary, as India came below British management, the standard boundary of the two states began to advance to the Chinese region. During the 1913-1914 tripartite meeting including a Tibetan representative, a representative of the Chinese focal government, and Sir Henry McMahon, a secretary of the English Indian government, a secret bilateral arrangement was endorsed with the Tibetan delegate on another boundary line (later known as the McMahon Line). Although, the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru promoted the slogan “Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai” which was a declaration of brotherhood between India and China this relationship of “brotherhood” did not last long has the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, claimed that he was faced with humiliation at the reception of the Dalai Lama in India when he fled there in March 1959 and also claimed that Indians were responsible for the Lhasa rebellion in Tibet, which caused increased tensions between the two nations. One of the major reasons for the Sino-India conflict is China’s impression. The McMahon Line was created as the formal border between British India and China by the 1914 Simla Convention between Britain and Tibet, which denied Chinese suzerainty over Tibet (Dalvi 1969). A uprising in Tibet strained relations between China and India, and a change in Indian military tactics exacerbated the border dispute. The goal of this shift in military policy was to establish forward-posts behind the Chinese claim line, in strategic locations, to flank Chinese military forces (Hoffmann 1990). These stations were built to emphasize India’s territorial claims in Ladakh and to put the Xinjian-Tibet road in Aksai Chin in jeopardy. The 1954 Panchsheel Agreement was not extended in 1961 due to India’s territorial dispute and the Indian military’s construction of advanced military installations. Both countries violated each other’s territorial conceptions by crossing the claimed and McMahon lines, and India is contesting Chinese sovereignty in Tibet.

.  The United Nations as made some efforts in managing the Sino-India conflict. However,  this conflict management strategies have not done much in managing the Sino-India conflict.

 

1.2 Statement of Problem

The issue of conflict between China and India has been going on for nearly six decades, it is one of the most protracted border crisis that has ever occured, this started after a clash between 1962, but even after that a standoff between the two states has only worsened over time. With both states keeping troops on patrol in the region for decades. Each of these states have used media to make reports that in there region against the other that brews conflict between both states. Tensions between China and India escalated over time, their refusal to leave or give up the regional border.

The crisis between these two states has created a lot of geopolitical consequence for the world. Due to time, internal and external situations the nature of the crisis has changed a bit whereby the value of the territorial dispute has shifted. Also, the United Nations being the organization focused on conflict management of the Sino-India has  encountered challenges like the hegemonic ambitions of both states, China and India are powerful a states and are very ambitious in been or maintaining hegemony so if the decision is left to this states forfeiting is not an option. However, the United Nations can impose arbitral decisions on the region of dispute and could also subject the dispute to settlement by adjudication through the use of the international court.

1.3   Research Objectives

To critically analyse the role that the United Nations played in managing the Sino-India conflict.

 

1.4  Research Aims

1. To critically analyze United Nations conflict management strategies specifically in Sino-India conflict
2. To examine how conflict management by the United Nations in the Sino-India conflict has influenced the conflict and relationship between the two states.
3. To examine the response of China and India towards conflict management strategies by the United Nations.

1.5 Research Questions

1. What were the conflict management strategies used by the United Nations?

 

2. How has the United Nations influenced conflict management in the Sino-India conflict?

 

 

3. How has China and India responded to the effort of the United Nations in the management of the conflict?

 

 

1.6  Prepositions

To study the conflict management strategies by the United Nations of the Sino-India conflict, it is critical to examine the two major, presuppositions.

1. The United Nations conflict management has helped in the management of the Sino-India conflict.
2. The Sino-India Conflict has to an extent affected the International society.

 

1.7  SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

This study is centered on the conflict management by United Nations in the Sino-India conflict from (1962-2021).

This paper will focus the nature of the Sino-India conflict, conflict management process, strategies and methods by the United Nations in regards to the Sino-India conflict.The limitations of this study was: the Covid-19 pandemic which prevented the used of primary data, another limitation was limited access to some of the online resources. Therefore, secondary data was used.

 

1.8 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This study will provide theoretical and practical analysis on the United Nations conflict management strategies in the Sino-India conflict (1962-2021). Also, the instruments of national power, both and mediation strategies will be used to analyze the conflict management of the United Nations in the Sino-India conflict. This research will also add to the existing body of knowledge on the subject. The research will lay out analysis and information of how the United Nations has gone about conflict management in the case of the Sino-India conflict. In a practical view it gives views on how effective the strategies of the United Nations conflict management is and what the outcome has been. This study will provide a comprehensive understanding of the United Nations conflict management specifically in the Sino-India conflict and how the outcome has been. To conclude, the paper will contribute to any study that will be done in relation to the topic and will also provide more information about the United Nations conflict management strategies and the Sino-India conflict.

 

1.9  Research Methodology

This study relied on secondary sources of information. The data was evaluated with the use of content and discourse analysis. The secondary data includes data collection from academic articles, journals, text, websites. Magazines, reports, and research. This will provide past studies and data about the topic. These sources and pass data will help in addressing the research questions. The choice of use of secondary data was due to the restriction of movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of online communication with experts in power politics.

1.9.1 Research Design

In this study, a case study (India & China) research design was used.

 

1.9.2 Method of Data Collection

The research will be carried out using secondary data, whereby works are used to provide in-depth information about the case study. The use of academic articles, journals, text, websites. Magazines, reports, research internal and external sources of data which will be used to inform the current research with past data

1.9.3 Method of Data Analysis

For its evaluation, the study used content and discourse analysis. Words, ideas, and phases that appear frequently in a text are the focus of content analysis (Richardson,2007). According to Frumusani (n. d) discourse analysis is a focused on mobility and diversity, a crucible in which recent tendencies converge language, symbolic providing heterogeneous framework.

 

1.10   Definition of Key Terms

Conflict Management:

Conflict Management according to (Juneja, 2015) involves the steps undertaken to prevent the conflict at the right time and also helps to resolve it effectively and smoothly.

Sino-India Conflict:

Sino-India conflict refers to the dispute between China and India over regional borders (Burke,1963).

The United Nations(UN):

In research from United Nations (2015), The United Nations is an international organization establish with the aim of promoting state relations, promoting social progress,better living conditions, and human rights.

1.11 Research Outline

Chapter one: This chapter introduces the study’s historical context, state the conflict problem of China and India and the United Nations involvement in strategies for conflict management towards the conflict and the events that occurred leading up to the crisis, Also the statement of problem which states the deteriorating relationship between China and India and its impact globally. A research aim, research objectives, and question stating the points that will be addressed in the research. The significance of the study that will outline the  importance of the research, Stating two hypothesis that will be the predictive statement about the research which will be analysed in the research, the theoretical framework which will state. Existing,, theories that will support  the research topic and subject matter. Then a research methodology. Which states the form of data collection, analysis and means the research will be carried out by, which in this research paper is the use of secondary data. The chapter also contains a scope of study this aspect, states what the research will cover. Finally, the major terms are defined based on scholarly reference and sources

 

Chapter two: This chapter is a literature review, other scholarly works that have been about the Sino-India conflict and the United Nations conflict management strategies towards the Sino-India conflict, and also the use of theories to support the research

 

Chapter three and four: In this chapter, research questions will be addressed using secondary data which includes data collection from academic articles, journals, text, websites, and past research papers.

 

Chapter five: This chapter will bring the research to a close with suggestions, conclusion and a

summa

AN ANALYSIS OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT BY THE UNITED NATIONS IN THE

SINO-INDIA CONFLICT