The Causes of Ethnic Conflicts

Ethnic conflicts are not new phenomena. Such conflicts have existed all over the world for centuries, but in the last 20 years, after the fall of Communism, they are in the focus of public attention due to the war in Rwanda, the events in Eastern Europe, and the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.

The post-Cold War world showed signs of decline with respect to the power of states to maintain political stability. Since the two superpowers were no longer competing for sphere of influences in the world, Third World countries suffered primarily because they lost the support of their former patrons. What had once served as a stabilizing force was gone.

The resulting conflicts are violent, bringing suffering, death, destruction, and terrorism. They can escalate from local to regional areas. The casualties resulting from ethnic conflicts are often in hundreds of thousands as one ethnic group tries to eliminate another. The consequences can last generations.

This article discusses the most common causes that can trigger violent ethnic conflicts. The author uses as examples two countries: the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Although the literature on this topic is quite large and politicians and scholars come with different interpretations, generally there is not only one cause for the conflict, but a combination of factors. This paper emphasizes the role of belligerent leaders in triggering the wars.

Many states are made up of numerous ethnic groups, defined as groups that share common heritage, interests, beliefs, historical experience, and cultural traits. An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two ethnic groups within a state, one dominant and one subordinate. Often the dominant group is the state and the subordinate one is challenging its legitimacy.

States do nation building by integrating their ethnic groups, usually through coercion. Sometimes, ethnic groups benefit from integration such as opportunities for better jobs. In this process, ethnic groups acquire a double identity; they don't lose their identity. If assimilation fails, then ethnic groups can be declared illegal (e.g. Kurds in Turkey or Turks in Bulgaria in the 1970s). The state might resort to genocide of a group, deportation, or relocation, as has happened in Rwanda and Chechnya. 2

There are different ways to eliminate an ethnic group. Genocide is...