ABSTRACT
'Identity' can be understood in a number of ways, including as ethnicity, nationalism and religion, as well as in a more personal sense. The politics of identity stands in contrast to the politics of class or an understanding of one’s community as defined by economic or material relations. Neo-liberalism, under the guise of the Washington Consensus, has diminished the role of government agency in state affairs and deregulated barriers between states, particularly in areas of trade. Technological change has also facilitated the mass production of inexpensive weapons, particularly small arms, which have changed the social and political dynamics of many developing countries. Technological change also, and increasingly importantly, extends to communications, with individuals across the world being more connected to one another than ever. The physical shape of developing countries is, overwhelmingly, a product of their colonial legacies or the impact of colonialism, reaching even the few states that were not colonised.
