What is enlightened self-interest?

Why is it important, according to P Collier?

Can you criticise his theory?

2. It’s important because it encourages people to take action on big problems that affect everyone.

3. It doesn’t always work because not everyone thinks about long term benefits or others needs.

Religious tensions - Social

Unequal economic development and access to basic services - Economic

"Indigene" vs. internal migrant conflicts over land rights - Political, Social

Corruption in state institutions - Political

Competition over oil and natural resources - Economic, Political

Nation-State — A state where most of the population shares a common identity (ethnicity, language, culture, history).

Ethnic — A group of people sharing common ancestry, language, culture, or traditions.

Unitary State — A system where all power is held centrally by the national government; no regional governments have independent power.

Federal State — A system where power is divided between a central government and regional governments (states/provinces); regions have some autonomy.

1)The state is divided into two parts, South and North with different culture, language and limited common history-Social

2) Unequal economic development and access to basic social services-economical

3) Territory conflict between "indigenes" and other Nigerians-Political

4)Corruption and conflict over the spoils of Nigerian resources-political

Exit Ticket:

State-political entity which has defined territory(borders), permanent population, stable government and capacity to interact with other states.(USA, France, UK)

Nation-state- single or multiple nationalities joined together in a formal political union with a same language, and law.(Japan, Sweden)

Ethnic- group of people who share the same language and culture(Latino,Greek)

Unitary state-A state with a central government without an autonomic territories(Russia, France)

Federal state- A state with a division of central authority and consistent units (USA, India)

Social Ethnic tensions between the Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa Fulani groups fuel ongoing conflict. Religious divisions between Muslim and Christian communities create further instability. Friction also stems from the unequal treatment of indigenous populations versus those considered settlers.

Economic The gap in wealth and opportunity between the North and South remains stark. Access to healthcare and education is far from evenly distributed. Competition over valuable natural resources, particularly oil, continues to drive conflict.

Environmental Oil extraction has led to widespread pollution, damaging local ecosystems and threatening the livelihoods of nearby communities.

Political Colonial-era borders lumped together people of vastly different backgrounds, creating a fragile national identity. Widespread government corruption undermines progress, while rivalry for political influence among ethnic groups deepens divisions.

Exit Ticket: Key Vocabulary

State — A governing body defined by recognized borders and an established government.

Nation-state — A country in which the majority of citizens share a common ethnic identity.

Ethnic — Relating to a group of people united by shared ancestry and cultural traditions.

Unitary State — A system of government in which authority is centralized under a single national body.

Federal State — A system of government in which power is divided and shared across multiple levels, such as national and regional governments.

2)The conflict in Nigeria can partly be seen as having a civilizational character because it often reflects religious and cultural divisions between groups.  Northern Nigeria is largely Muslim, dominated by the Hausa-Fulani population, while many southern regions such as those of the Yoruba and Igbo are mostly Christian. According to Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations theory, conflicts may occur along cultural and religious “fault lines,” especially between Islamic and other civilizations. These religious differences can sometimes increase political tension and mistrust between regions in Nigeria.  Therefore, some aspects of Nigeria’s conflict appear to support Huntington’s idea of civilizational clashes. 

Counterclaim: However, many scholars argue that the conflict in Nigeria is mainly political and economic rather than civilizational. The tensions described in the text are linked to regional inequalities, struggles for political power, and competition over resources such as oil in the Niger Delta. These factors show that conflicts are often caused by state structure, governance, and resource distribution rather than cultural differences alone. As a result, Nigeria’s conflict cannot be fully explained by Huntington’s civilizational theory and is better understood as a combination of political, economic, and historical factors

Nigeria's conflict is civilisational

Nigeria sits directly on Huntington's fault line between the Christian and Islamic worlds. For example, the sharia crisis of the early 2000s saw 12 northern states introduce Islamic law, triggering riots and thousands of deaths along the religious divide. This fits Huntington's model because the conflict wasn't about land or money, it was about which civilisation's values would govern the state. Nigeria therefore shows exactly the kind of fault line conflict Huntington predicted.

Counterclaim

The conflict is not civilisational

Despite appearances, Nigeria's violence is driven more by ethnicity and colonial legacy than religion. For example, the Niger Delta conflict pits groups like the Ijaw against the state over oil revenue, with little religious dimension at all. This undermines Huntington because it shows that even in a country often framed as a Christian-Muslim conflict, many of the deepest tensions have nothing to do with civilisation, suggesting his theory is too simplistic to explain Nigeria's complexity.

Claim: 

The conflict in Nigeria has a civilizational character because the country is split by a major cultural line between the Muslim North and the Christian South. For example, these two regions often have serious violent clashes over whether the national legal system should follow religious Sharia law or secular and Western-style laws. This connects to Samuel Huntington’s "Clash of Civilizations" theory, which argues that the world is divided into big cultural groups that will soon fight where they meet. Because Nigeria sits right where the Islamic civilization and the African/Western civilization overlap, the theory suggests that their different beliefs, traditions, and religions make it very difficult for them to live together peacefully. This shows that the trouble in Nigeria isn't just about regular politics, but is also because of the struggle between two different cultures that find it hard to find common ground.

Outline of Clash of Civilizations: 

The Clash of Civilizations is a theory by Samuel Huntington suggesting that in the post-Cold War era, global conflicts will mainly be caused by cultural and religious differences rather than political or economic ones.

2) The conflict in Nigeria has a civilizational character. There are three main ethnic groups in Nigeria: Hausa-Fulani with Islamic traditions, Igbo with Christian traditions and Yoruba with a mix of Christian and Islamic. According to Huntington, religious identity creates a conflict between different groups. Thus, by different ethnic groups, the conflict in Nigeria has a civilizational character.

However, conflict in Nigeria has more state structural conflict rather than ideological. Nigeria is a federal state what means that it has a division of central authority and consistent units. This allows different regions to create a laws and manufactures by their cultural values and abilities, what creates a competition between different them. Thus, this competition leads to economic development, however it increases a conflict between them either. Thus, federal state structure creates a conflict in Kenya rather than civilizational issues

- Liberals argue equality means equal rights and opportunities for everyone.

- Socialists argue equality requires reducing economic differences.

- Conservatives argue too much equality can limit freedom and reward.

2 concerns about the benefits of achieving equality

- It may reduce motivation to work hard if rewards are equal.

- It can be expensive or difficult to fully achieve in practice.

1 question

- Is complete equality actually possible in society?