How Did Climate Serve as a Trigger Event for the Bangladeshi Liberation

Climate issues have come to the forefront of popular culture and is a hot topic in the arena of politics and beyond. More recently numerous academics have started to research how not only global warming, but climate can increase the risk of civil war or ignite armed conflict. One of the most introductory article on the subject is written by Marshall Burke and discusses how climate has increased the risk of civil war in Africa. One of the conclusions Burke and his colleagues draw from their quantitative research is that not only can climate trigger civil conflict but also â€Å"that climate change will worsen instability in already volatile regions† (Burke, p.1). Moreover, during the time of the Bangladeshi Liberation War that was the case. Bangladesh, at the time referred to as East Pakistan was in a tumultuous state and a breeding ground for conflict. However, it wasn’t until the 1970 Bhola cyclone that devastated the area that the East Pakistani’s decided to move forward in their secession from West Pakistan, which led to the Bangladeshi Liberation War. This paper will be divided into four sections. The first section will set the theoretical foundation for how climate can cause conflict. The second section will identify and analyze the different conflict factors that were present in East Pakistan and were amplified/affected by the cyclone. The third section will examine the extent and damage caused by the cyclone, focusing on numbers and logistics. The last section will take the information that had been presented previously and create the links between it and how it relates to argument of the Bhola cyclone triggering the lib eration war. There has not yet been a tremendous amount of research done on how exactly climate can trigg... ... 132- 144. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Apr. 2012. Nanda, Ved. "Self-Determination in International Law: The Tragic Tale of Two Cities--Islamabad (West Pakistan) and Dacca (East Pakistan)." American Journal of International Law. 66.2 (1972): 321-336. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Sappenfield, Mark. "CLIMATE MAY HEAT CONFLICT, TOO." Christian Science Monitor 06 Dec. 2007: 13+. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Schanberg, Sydney. "Pakistan Divided." Foreign Affairs. (1971): 125-135. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Schanberg, Sydney. "Yahya Concedes 'Slips' In Relief. "New York Times [New York] 22 NOV 1970, 10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Staff Writer, . "East Pakistani Leaders Assail Yahya on Cyclone Relief." New York Times [New York] 23 NOV 1970, 5. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.