Understanding Local Conflicts in International Relations: A Critical Security Studies Perspective

The role of local conflicts is important to understand sectional and communal differences in post-colonial societies. In spite of the rhetoric of democracy and secularism, state governance has not been successful in restraining instances of communal conflicts and also the incessant rise of jingoism and parochial tendencies within mainstream politics. The absence of a linear progression in the improvement of social relations between people, especially between religious communities is indeed puzzling. This problem has also engulfed the Indian state. These events not only contradict the image of India as a secular democratic state, but also question the legitimacy of conferring such designations as „responsible‟ and „rising‟ upon the Indian state. These internal conflicts throw light upon inherent deficiencies of the Indian state and raises apprehensions about its international perceptions. Rather than explaining this scenario, it is important to understand the background of such confrontation between communities. From the perspective of Critical Security Studies, it is possible to contextualise conflicts within post-colonial societies and understand their relevance in global society. In this paper, an attempt has been made in transcending the gulf between the local and the global through engaging in episodes of internal violence.