1. C H A L L E N G E F O R S TAT E - B U I L D I N G A N D I T S
R E G I O N A L I M P L I C AT I O N
T H E C A S E S T U D Y O F S O U T H S U D A N
B Y
D E N G A L I E R G A I A J U O N G
S C O P E O F T H E S T U D Y
2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 7
CHINA FOREIGN AFFAIRS UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL GRADUATE OF STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
2. Introduction and background
Despite the fact that, this contemporary world required imperative peace and stability as a
most precious pillar for development and economic growth for the country, in which good
number of scholars and academicians have drown attention and discussion toward state-
building and realizing it a truly inter-disciplinary subject that surely attracted specialists
from social sciences, political studies, anthropology, economics, international development,
international relations and security studies.
The aforementioned diversity field of studies representatives would come together and
working collaboratively to analyze an extremely multifaceted state-building circumstances,
it could be an awfully situation where one challenge of state-building have blocked and
destabilized state institutions, then thinkers can be involved to developed strategies to
restoring and reconstructing the institutions and apparatus of the state, an example of the
challenge can be civil war or conflict and many more obstacles to state development.
3. Introduction and background
Purposely, this study is intended to explore developing African nations in their
struggles with persistent civil wars and permanent poverty the imminent threats of the
state-building reflecting South Sudan case in particular were the research will assess
civil war as a challenge for the country state-building failure.
Before and after independence, South Sudan has witnesses’ multitude of insurgences,
and good number of those belligerents came to political arrangements with the
government.
This paper will investigate political, economic crisis, state-building and regional
implications.
This would hence attract a question on how civil war could be a challenge to state-
building. The research question: why is civil war a challenge for South Sudan state
building
4. Argument
Civil war remained a chronic disease and barrier to South Sudan state-building. Civil
war eruption on 15th December 2013, was the beginning of South Sudan catastrophes;
characterized by armed confrontations, high rate of crimes, destruction of properties,
displacement of people, ethnic violence conflict, political oppression and dysfunctional
economic.
Political instabilities in South Sudan has touches the bottom-line of worse humanitarian
crisis in East African state with series of ethnic violence and brutal civil war advocated
by numerous analysts to have eroded state economic and damaged the old
infrastructure development in the country.
Since the independence, it has been registered that fragility of political and economic
institutions, central government unwillingness to respect South Sudanese diversities
accounted for the outbreak of 15th December 2013 internal conflict that happened in
Juba.
5. Argument
This study attempts to investigate the Civil War as a challenge for South Sudan state
building and examine whether the crisis can have regional implications to other
countries in the region of east Africa.
There is no major study which has identified the impact of the 2013 South Sudanese
ongoing Civil War on the countries of the East Africa, which has a remarkable impact
and experiencing extreme violence.
It is hoped that the study would contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the
issue under study. In the light of this, the study critically examined the nature, causes
and consequences of the conflict and its implications in the country and for the
neighboring countries.
8. General objectives of the study
The primary reason for the study is to examine Civil war as a challenge for South
Sudan state building and will explore relevant regional implications for the state-
building failure.
9. Specific objective of the study
The specific objective of the study comprises;
Assessing political and economic challenges resulted from the civil war in South Sudan
Identifying factors that might have contributed to the out break of Civil war in South
Sudan after two years of her independence
Show implications for South Sudan’s state building failure on East Africa Region.
10. Empirical research questions.
This research will be guided and controlled by the following empirical research questions
to answer the research question; why is civil war a challenge for South Sudan state-
building.
What is the political and economic situation accounted from the civil war
What are factors that might have triggered the civil war in South Sudan after two years
of her independence?
What are some of regional implications for South Sudan’s state-building failure on east
Africa region?
11. Significance of the study
The study will have a remarkable contribution to the understanding of the origin of
conflict in the Republic of South Sudan by examining the civil war, its political and
economic characteristics.
This study will hopefully contribute to the study of civil war in South Sudan and
particularly evaluating it as a challenge for state-building South Sudan.
The study will explore implications for South Sudan’s state-building failure on east
Africa region.
Consequently, it is envisaged that the study will contribute to the existing literature in
to relation South Sudan’s civil war dynamics.
The research can also serve as a reference material for those interested in conducting
further research on the same field of the study under evaluation.
12. Scope of the study
The research is restricted to investigate and analyze civil war as a challenge for state
building in South Sudan and its relevant implication on East Africa region.
The research will examine relevant implications for South Sudan’s state-building
failure to the regional peace and stability.
The finding will also evaluate the factors contributed to South Sudan’s failure in State
building after two years of her independence and consequences for the regional security
and stability for the neighboring countries in East Africa
13. Research Design
The research design for this study is the ex-post fact type since the researcher cannot
control the independent variable because they have already occurred.
The independent variable in this study is the civil war in South Sudan, while dependent
variable is how it affects South Sudan’s state-building.
14. Methodology and methods
The research will use qualitative research methods which give best practices for
getting in-depth answer concerning what people believes, think, do and feel.
Qualitative research technique is commonly employed by many scholars to answer
questions such as why and how of people behavior, thoughts, experience and obtained
data, which are not simple to find them through quantitative methods of data gathering
The findings, argument of terms and data analysis will be demonstrated and organized
qualitatively
The researcher will conduct relevant study on theories which would fit well in
describing civil war in Republic of South Sudan; provide logical analysis through
theories better for the description of humanitarian catastrophe in South Sudan.
15. Methods
primary and secondary sources.
key informant interviews,
government officials, international organizations representatives, politicians, regional
organizations, National organizations representatives, South Sudan embassy and think tanks such
Sudd institute, Center for Peace and Development Studies, and School of Public services –Juba
University.
secondary sources
reviewing and analysis for documents, books, NGOs and governments reports.
This will assume collection of data from journals publications, and unpublished sources through
opinion leaders, scholars writing, politicians and other researchers documentations concerning
South Sudan’s civil war and regional implications for peace and stability, will be of importance
and significance for researcher consultation on their relevant journals, reference papers and books.
16. Organization of the study
This study will be arranged logically according to the structure of five chapters.
chapter one deals with introduction, argument, research objectives, research questions,
significance, scope, limitation; design, methodology and methods of data collection, and
organization of the study.
Second chapter is literature review; conceptual and theoretical framework for the study.
Chapter three will evaluate civil war as a challenge for South Sudan state-building .will assess
causes of South Sudan conflict.
Chapter four will provide logical analysis on the findings conducted using theories that would
well described regional security and economic implications of South Sudan’s State building
failure.
Finally, chapter five will provide conclusion for the findings and suggestions on the suitable
solutions of putting an end to the humanitarian catastrophe in South Sudan.
17. REFERENCE
Fukuyama, F., 2004, ‘State-building: Governance and World Order in the 21st
Century’, Cornell University Press
Berger, M. and Weber, H., 2006, ‘Beyond State-Building: Global Governance and the
Crisis of the Nation-state System in the 21st Century, Third World Quarterly, vol.27,
no.
(Ajoung, 2017), International Organizations and Ethnic conflict in Africa: Causes of
ethnic violence conflict in South Sudan, (Page, 36-8); https://www.lap-publishing.com
Augustine Ting Mayai, (October 11, 2016), The Proliferating Rebellion in South
Sudan: Its Explanations and Implications; the suddinstitute.
(Akol, July 23, 2013) , Politics of liberation struggle.
