34 East Extended Essays 2015
GROUP 3– INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES
ABSTRACTS HISTORY
AHMAD SHAHIZAM, SHUKRI
AYMEN DE LAGEARD, SIXTINE
Taking place between 1948 and 1960, the Malayan Emergency involving the Federation of Malaya and the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) was a pivotal period in the history of Malaysia. Whilst the terrorist insurrection by the MCP proved to be unsuccessful, it is no less important to study as a matter of reference how such a victory was achieved through the joint effort of the British and Malayan authorities. A key factor in the conflict proved to be the racial and socioeconomic composition of Malaya, and as such begged the research question at hand: “How did Malaya’s racial and socioeconomic composition affect the actions of the MCP and the Malayan government and determine the outcome of the Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960?”
This essay investigates the question of, “to what extent was ethnic stratification in Côte d’Ivoire the dominant cause for France’s Opération Licorne in 2002?” The essay was written through a revisionist view that reappraises the causes of the 2002 French military intervention in Côte d’Ivoire using socio-economic accounts alongside historical and political text.
Within this essay, three key aspects are explored, considering both the MCP and the Malayan government. Firstly, the initial failure of the MCP to garner support beyond its primary base of ethnic Chinese is explored, followed by how, even then, this support was placed on exploitable minorities and were unsustainable. To provide an insight on the opposing side, the effectiveness of governmental actions through the Briggs’ Pan and Gerald Templer’s “Hearts and Minds” in exploiting weaknesses in the MCP’s support base, and the Malaysian Chinese Association’s (MCA) role in consolidating governmental advantages on a grassroots level will be considered. Through this, it will be concluded that the MCP’s failure lay in its inability to capitalise on an advantageous position following the Japanese Occupation, which led it on a downward trajectory and necessitated dependence on volatile populations of minorities for supplies. Subsequently, the government, with vastly more resources, was able to win through attrition, by systematically eradicating support for the Communists and providing a legitimate entity, the MCA, for Chinese populations to support.
Secondary sources such as news articles, academic essays about Francafrique by Maja Bovcon, political novels retracing long term corruption scandals, have been integrated in the analysis of the topic. The essay aims to create an understanding of ethnic stratification intrinsic to Ivorian history and society and how it affects the fragility of regional stability. The consequences of a failing economy and structural economic dependency on France are examined: the section aims to explain how the colonially implemented structure of the economy enabled the economic miracle of Côte d’Ivoire, and investigate the flaws of the system in terms of the corruption involved. Furthermore, the downfall of the economy from badly managed debt and investments toward strict austerity policies and free market system is accounted for in the context of a vulnerable cocoa industry. The next section offers a more complete overview of the complex Franco-Ivorian relations influenced by Françafrique. Lastly, military neo-colonial legacy is important to the scope of the topic. The notion of French geopolitical interests and the need for grandeur on the international scene after the weakening Algerian and Indochina wars is introduced, and explains the military presence of the French in Côte d’Ivoire. The essay concludes by asserting that ethnic stratification holds great importance in the reasons for the intervention, yet that historical nuances within the Franco-Ivorian relationship and a weak economy were also crucial to the escalation of the war and thus to the action of Opération Licorne.