Other Apartheids

There have been numerous claims of other apartheids around the world, in countries as diverse as Northern Ireland, the USA, Israel/Palestine, and Brazil. If we accept the United Nations definition of apartheid used at the start of this article, it is debatable whether these can be considered apartheid equivalents. What constitutes institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination? There is indeed segregation within these nations and in some cases extreme inequality on grounds of race. In addition, the commonalities of experience, can allow critical dialog to take place between citizens of these countries. However, the legal framework and total ideology purposefully created under apartheid, marks South Africa's experiences as fundamentally different.