Current Event – Totalitarian Restrictions or Ethnic Conflict

Article (no more than one-month old) from reputable news source such as The New York Times or The Washington Post. Scholarly articles only!

Reviewing the concepts of ethnic conflict and totalitarianism:

Often students are confused on what constitutes an ethnic conflict. Before you select a topic for this assignment, be sure to review the information below to gain a better understanding of what constitutes Totalitarianism and ethnic conflict.

Totalitarianism and ethnic conflict are not the same as violent act committed by a police officer that was officially deemed as being racially motivated. Ethnic conflict is when government has discriminatory policies in place. Slavery and segregation were examples of ethnic conflict. Many students confuse recent events of violence or shooting by police officers on individuals as examples of ethnic conflict. However, not all of those actions were acts of racially motivated violence.  In addition, they were committed by individuals in the execution of their job, which are subject to review and oversight (administrative and legal), and if deemed excessive and/or racially motivated, will be sanctioned and prosecuted because they would go against standing policies and laws that do not allow excessive force in the execution of police duties or racially motivated violence against others (by police or any other person). In the 1960s and earlier, we had state governments requiring African Americans to be segregated. This was an example of ethnic conflict. We do not have government policy in this country today promoting the harassment or killing of people because of their race.

If a person kills another person, it is a legal issue. If the killing took place because of the race of the person, it is also a hate crime. It is not designated as ethnic conflict. Topics centered on racial inequity such as Black Lives Matter, while important and viable topics in the context of race relations and social justice, are not the same as ethnic conflict in Totalitarian regimes and so are not appropriate topics for this assignment.

Instructions
Write a paper on a current event article that discusses restrictions on freedoms by a totalitarian state or an article on ethnic conflict within a nation. Summarize the article and explain why this issue is important to the global community. What outside influences might help change this issue? How? Is the article neutral? Why or why not?

Be sure to include a scanned copy of the article in your submission in addition to citations. Articles may not be more than one month old.

Writing Requirements (APA format). Refer to the APA manual.

• Length: 3 full pages (not including the title or references page)
• 1-inch margins
• Double-Spaced
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Title and Reference page required
• APA cite article with link
• Scan copy of article required

Grading
This activity will be graded based on the Assignment Grading Rubric.

Course Outcomes (CO): 3 & 5

Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday

This week can present some definitional difficulties for students, particularly for understanding “restriction on freedoms by a totalitarian state” or “ethnic conflict within a nation”.  Please be sure to read the reading assignments as well as the insert with further explanation in the assignment details.  Additionally, please note there is a difference between Ethnic Conflict and Racism.  Ethnic conflicts often result in all out war or civil war within a nation.

In light of the current events occurring in the nation, regarding both the COVID 19 restrictions and protests for justice, it is important that you are aware that these not examples of restrictions on freedoms by a totalitarian regime or ethnic conflict.  

For examples of restrictions on freedoms by a totalitarian state or ethnic conflicts within countries, your search results may be most successful if you search for countries that are totalitarian or that have ongoing ethnic conflict, such as North Korea and Ethiopia respectfully – instead of searching for totalitarianism or ethnic conflict only.  

Again, please be sure to read all the assigned readings of the module to help in understanding totalitarian regimes and ethnic conflict/civil war.  A common mistake students have made in the past was misreading ETHNIC CONFLICT as ETHIC CONFLICT, an understandable mistake for students in the medical field yet nonetheless a costly mistake given the assignment.