South Africa’s Peaceful Social Change Essay Example for Free

South Africa’s Peaceful Social Change Essay An integrated society or methodological system on resolving certain conflicts is perhaps one of the key factors in buoying up peace within the post-settlement environment. The ideological milieu to such a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion is divulged by traversing over the key figures and conceptual entities such as the merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices into a unified whole and post-settlement context. Moreover, notions with regard to civilizations, community concepts, resolving conflicts, and building peace and order are also acknowledged in contributing essential benefits to these key figures. Given the explication above, vestiges that are relying on experience and/or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory, are shown through an excerpt from Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy. Such contemporary issues concerning methodological systems of community development and/or resolving certain conflicts have led the people, particularly South Africa’s communities, into struggling to address the needs of every citizen, motivating the entire community to fight for their rights and privileges, and acknowledging the importance of democracy to the whole country. Hence, this paper unfolds how social change takes place in a successful manner along the way where a nation struggles against the end of racial segregation—a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa. Contemporary Issues and Challenges in South Africa Various countries around the world have admired South Africa’s strong transition to democracy. Many of them believed that the nation would gain its victory upon observing the number of African people struggling over apartheid. Therefore, numerous countries from across the world learned that the nation’s previous form of government would have led the entire country to a certain revolution. Susan Collin Marks, one of the thousands of South Africans, has committed herself to making the strategic system of obtaining the real freedom peacefully (â€Å"Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy†). Many of her compatriots believed that if they aim to create a peaceful world, which was free from unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power (which has been marked by cynicism and rancor, prejudiced hostility or animosity, battles and impending wars), they need to find ways to resolve the conflicts in democratic means. Therefore, South Africa has garnered invaluable insights toward the course of democracy. Apartheid, which has been the mode or form of government in South Africa, unleashed a state or period of time that was marked by violence often committed by those in power that produces widespread terror. Such a royal authority prolonged for over forty years and put the number of people to imprisonment. Hence, numerous countries have considered such event as cruel and merciless regime that the entire world has ever seen subsequently to the time of Hitler in Germany (â€Å"Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy†). Indeed, it has been an extremely outstanding or unusual event that South Africa was still able to obtain a peaceful transition to democracy despite the fact that the nation has suffered such ruthless circumstances. Marks’s Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy is truly a more compelling and inspiring book that unfolds the systematic ways, which have been used by Africans in order to obtain a peaceful change in their society—from apartheid to democracy. The history of such a racial discrimination against the native inhabitants of South Africa has begun when the first Europeans from Holland arrived in the country. A former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa has become outrageous during the rule of Dutch and British (â€Å"Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy†). A number of laws and acts have been passed, which undermined the position of non-white population; however, rampant discrimination has been acknowledged in the entire country. In the midst of 1980s, the United States of America and other democratic nations in Europe have merged their authorities in order to impose approbation against South Africa’s government leaders (Marks). Thus, the president was convinced to eradicate such a form of government in the country. When Frederik Willem de Klerk, the last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, too over the position of the late president, he continued working on a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures especially of a governmental body to end the apartheid. In addition, he ended a 30-year ban of the African National Congress (ANC) members who have tried leading the Africans into a non-racial democracy and to the propagation of the black South Africans’ rights and privileges in the country. Moreover, he has not just freed the ANC members but also given their leader, Nelson Mandela, of freedom to be one of the key figures in the new South African government and negotiate with the United Nations for the peaceful implementation of democracy. Conflict Resolution during South Africas Transition to Democracy Marks’s book Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy is considered as the key figure, which has been used by the author in order to represent a vigorous effort to attain an end of the apartheid and begin living under democratic government and non-racial discrimination society. As an analysis of the entire conceptualization of her book, contemporary issues were dealing with a methodological system of obtaining the liberty or freedom without racial discrimination in South Africa. A number of African citizens have suffered the first heartless and ruthless government, which has seen by numerous countries from across the world. Marks, based on her book, experienced a variety of circumstances that have led her to gathering different stories concerning the upper levels of South African society’s movements on the implementation of 1991 National Peace Accord. Her book written with just the right mix of empathy and sensitivity, she then represented every life and work of the key people attempting to obtain the peace in which they put themselves in risk only to achieve South Africa’s change of society in a peaceful manner. They have made this happened through their courage and hope of peace. Activists have sat in line of the negotiating table of their torturers. They have made the negotiation in such a way in order for them to show their trust and hope for the liberty or freedom without attempting to declare the civil war. Most of their compatriots have put themselves in intermediate relation to wrathful group of people and police officers who were too eager to fight or contend. Moreover, every group of people attempting to end the apartheid and freedom has worked desperately for the change of their society. Therefore, as an analysis of the entire conceptualization and view of Marks’s Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy, it becomes quite easy for every individual to learn the fact from such stories, which have been unfolded by the author. For a better comprehension, it explicates and shows the world about the methodological and/or strategic ways that South African society used in order to end apartheid and give birth to the real democracy. Such a systematic process of resolving the conflict represents the great promise of John Burton’s view of the Basic Human Needs Theory in which he believes that such a theory will stipulate material basis that determines the sources of conflict and working on the process of resolving the conflict. Works Cited Marks, Susan. Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy. New York: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2000. 256pp. Rubenstein, Richard. â€Å"Basic Human Needs: The Next Steps in Theory Development. † The International Journal of Peace Studies. Published by George Mason University Press, 2009. 1-2