Border Disputes Then and Now

Don’t you love it when conflicts spiral out of control?

To continue on my Horn of Africa subject from last week, I was reading recently about the late-nineties Ethiopian-Eritrean border war, and it got me thinking about the nature of modern inter-state relations. Since Eritrea formally gained independence in 1991, there had been a dispute over whether Eritrea or Ethiopia held jurisdiction over a small town near the border, called Badme. This town had a population of about 900, and the ambiguity of the existing border agreement placed its status in jeopardy. So, what did our two “responsible” state actors do? They rassled it out, of course! The ensuing two-year war left around 70,000 dead on both sides. Let me repeat: a dispute over a town of 900 people killed 140,000 troops. You don’t see this kind of thing in the first world anymore…at least, I don’t think you do.

However, in less-enlightened times, Europeans were capable of this kind of brutally efficient warfare. Minor border disputes sometimes provoked massive wars, especially when the reputation of the royalty was involved. This was the most likely occurrence when region’s status was left ambiguous; otherwise, the region was left in political limbo. Sometimes these forgotten regions even took the opportunity to declare independence. Sadly, we don’t see this kind of excitement anymore. Border disputes are left up to the International Court of Justice to decide, which automatically tells most states which side of the conflict to take. The intense political maneuvering and tangled web of alliances formerly behind international relations is moving slowly towards obsolescence.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that this new system saves more lives and permits less suffering than the previous methods. Yet, these new postmodern practices of legal arbitration of matters that would have once brought war is so mundane, so devoid of taste and character, it makes our field much less interesting. I realize I probably sound like an overly-nostalgic lunatic when I say this, but I miss the days when people battled all the time without thinking it through.

I also miss the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If found, please return to 18 Broad Street, New York, NY 10005.