Ethnic Conflict

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Ethnic Conflict
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Ethnic Conflict

• Conflict between ethnic groups
• Ethnic groups
• Share common sense of identity, culture, common
  history
• Exists as a subgroup in a larger society or
  nation
• Sources of ethnic group identification
• History, social status, race, religion
• Symbols, myths, memories
• Nation
• Culturally homogeneous groups of people, larger
  than a single tribe or community, which share a
  common language, institutions, religion, and
  historical experience

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• Why do groups fight over small differences?

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Structural causes

• Disintegration of empires
• Quest for self determination
• Security dilemma

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Case Study Yugoslavia
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Croatia

• Declares independence 1991
• Recognized as independent by UN in 1992
• Ethnic war between Croat and Serbs 1991-1995
• Ethnic cleansing
• Population
• 1996 Croat 78, Serb 12, other 10
• 2001 Croat 89.6, Serb 4.5, other 5.9
• Source CIA Factbook

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Bosnia-Herzegovina

• Declared independence in 1992
• Resistance from ethnic Serbs,
• War between Serbs, Bosnians, Croats
• Dayton Agreement 1995
• International peacekeepers
• Office of High Representatives
• Entities Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
  Republika Srpska

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Role of Leadership

• Extreme groups
• Insecure, autocratic leadership
• Manipulation of symbols, ideology, history

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Kosovo

• Province in Serbia
• Ethnic composition 88 Albanian, 6 Serbs, 3
  Muslim Slav, 2 Roma
• Kosovo Liberation Army guerrilla war 1998
• Milosevic sends troops to Serbian population
• NATO air strikes 1998-1999
• Milosevic looses power 2000, 2001 in Hague
• Kosovo UN protectorate
• Albanians dominate parliament
• Spring 2004 unrest in Serb territories
• 4000 Serbs fled

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The Role of Democracy?

• Representation of ethnic groups interests
• Strengthen ethnic groups moderates
• Ideological moderation?

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Macedonia qualified success?

• Declares independence 1991
• Greece objects
• FYR Macedonia
• Ethnic groups Macedonian 64, Albanian 25,
  other 11
• Democratic, multi-ethnic government
• 2001 ethnic conflict broke out lead by Albanian
  radical group linked to KLA
• Governments invites peacekeeping troop NATO and
  UN
• Conflict minimized