Ethnic Conflict

1. Ethnic Conflict

2. Why do we study ethnic conflicts? • Since the end of World War 2, ethno-cultural conflicts have become the most common sources of political violence in the world.

3. How numerous are ethnic groups? • Will Kymlicka: there are 184 independent states, 600 living language groups, and some 5,000 ethnic groups. (The ratio of the number of states over the number of ethnic groups would thus be 1:27 or on average 27 ethno-cultural groups in a single states). • Robin Williams: there are between 900 and 1,600 major cultural groupings in 184 states. (If we take the middle point in this estimate, which is 1250, the ratio in this case is close to 1:7 or on average 7 ethnocultural groups in a single state).

4. Distirbution of ethnic groups: • More that half of all ethnic groups (some 55.7%) – are minorities wholly contained within a single state. • More than 40% of major ethnic groups are split among two or more states (Kurds, Basques, Tamils, Hungarians, Jews, Palestinians, etc.). • More than 66% of all ethnic groups are minorities that constitute no more that 10% of the population of any state in which they reside.

5. Three distinct waves of ethnic nationalisms since the late 18th century: • The classic period of ethnic self-determination in throughout the 19th century (Greece, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina) • Decolonization: the early twentieth century until 1970s (India, Pakistan, Iraq, Zimbabwe) • After the Cold War (Slovenia, East Timor, Eritrea).

6. How do ethnic conflicts start? • Theories based on economic interests; • The pressure cooker theory; • The ancient hatred theory.

7. Preconditions: Significant shifts in international politics: prolonged economic crisis, major political changes. The decline of the central state.

8. The Spread of Ethnic Conflict: • Diffusion • Escalation:

9. Conflict Management (CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES): • constitutional guarantees (bilingual education) • gerrymandering • controls on land sales • bills of rights (freedom of expression, association etc.) But especially the following four: • The Show of Respect • Power Sharing • Elections • Regional Autonomy and Federalism

10. A conflict of two important principles of international politics: • The protection of sovereignty. • The protection of minority groups from oppression, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.

11. External intervention can take various forms: 1. provision of humanitarian aid to civilian populations; 2. dispute mediation at the invitation of the conflicting parties; 3. peacekeeping between parties seeking a settlement, 4. use of economic coercion to bring parties to the negotiating table 5. use of military force to get the parties to talk, 6. monitoring and enforcement of peace accords arrived at by conflicting parties; 7. and reconstruction of governmental processes in states where they have been completely destroyed by conflict.

12. Non-Coercive Intervention • Inclusion in or exclusion from the international community. • Denying membership in international organizations. • External protests; • Engaging majority governments in a discussion of their ethnic problems, facilitating communication between majorities and minorities, and pushing the parties toward accommodation wherever possible.

13. Coercive intervention: • 1. To ensure food deliveries to the starving; • 2. Protect designated areas; • 3. Defend threatened peoples.

14. External (coercive) interventions have two primary effects: • First, intervention can alter the internal balance of ethnic power and may lead groups to moderate their demands. • Second, to provide guarantees for new ethnic contracts between the warring parties, at least during an interim period.

15. United Nations peace operations entail three principal activities: • conflict prevention and peacemaking; • peacekeeping; • and peacebuilding.

16. Peacebuilding includes: • reintegrating former combatants into civilian society, • security sector reform, • strengthening the rule of law, • improving respect for human rights, • providing technical assistance for democratic development and • promoting conflict resolution and reconciliation techniques.

17. Peacekeeping: • In the first 40 years of the UN's history 13 peacekeeping operations were set up. • In the 20 years since then, 47 missions have been deployed.

18. Limitations of the United Nations: • 1. Member states are hesitant to give the UN significant power to intervene in the affairs of member states, particularly with regard to the use of force to resolve conflicts. • 2. The UN also lacks the funds and the personnel required for the large-scale operations needed to restore failing states.