Deterrence and Diplomacy
Causes of conflict among countries
1. Conflict over territory/border
Countries try to take over land/territories which do not belong to them.
India inherited border drawn by the British when they gained independence - China protested that it did not agree
Difficult to draw a border due to Himalayan Mountains. China began to protest against India's claim on border.
China further went on to build a road on the Akai Chin Plateau - India protested claiming it violated territorial rights.
Led to war as tension broke out between India and China.
The refusal of both countries to agree on the border resulted in war and conflict when China violated India's rights by building on Indian land.
India and China signed an agreement in 2005 to address the border issue in a fair and reasonable manner.
2. Conflict over scarce natural resources
Countries with less resources such as land, water, oil and fish might use force to gain more, especially when these resources are necessary for survival and economic growth.
Iceland and Britain had a conflict over fishing grounds - Iceland has few economic resources and depends on fish for economic survival. However, fishermen from other European countries were over-fishing.
Iceland then extended its territorial zone from 50 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles according to UN Law of the Sea.
Britain refused to acknowledge the boundary.
Iceland cut its diplomatic ties with Britain in 1976. They had no bilateral relationships with each other.
Britain's refusal to acknowledge Iceland's fishing territory led to both countries ending their political ties with each other and led to further conflict.
An agreement was signed in July 1975 whereby Britain could catch a fixed amount of fish with maximum 24 fishing boats and Iceland's patrol could stop and inspect Britain fishing boats which they suspected of violating the agreement.
Lasted for 6 months, after