Citation

Jabs L. Am. Behav. Sci. 2007; 50(11): 1498-1519.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0002764207302466

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Over the past three decades, the once-adaptive practice of "taking by force" (cattle raiding) by pastoralist tribes in Northern Uganda has been transformed into a violent, ongoing intractable conflict within the tribes that threatens to destroy the Karimojong people and their way of life. This article suggests that in addition to the typical sources of intractable conflict, a massive influx of automatic weapons not only created instability in the community but also led to a shift in cultural norms. Several cultural norms now perpetuate the conflict, leading to increased intractability.