The term "ethnic conflict" is a review a wide variety of conflicts around the world. Some mavens argue that ethnic conflict itself does not exist, for these experts the ethnic wars are due to social, economic and political problems between groups that identify each other along ethnic lines: color, race, religion, language, national origin. Often such ethnicity may hide other distinguishing characteristics, such as class interests and political power, which, when analyzed, may prove the most important elements of the conflict.
However, when ethnic differences are used consciously or unconsciously to distinguish between adversaries in a particular war, ethnicity effectively becomes a factor in the nature and dynamics of conflict. In a review of the nations at war for 1998, that a total of 120 conflicts in the world, 66 were domestic, 36 of them could be described as "wars of state formation"; it is a conflict involving a government and an opposition group that calls for autonomy or secession for a particular region and its ethnic composition.
In recent times, the world has seen reduce the number of multinationals wars, however, it has seed increased the number of ethnic conflicts, particularly in Third World countries. Another study indicates that "the massacres carried out by States members of ethnic and political groups representing more casualties than all other combined forms of deadly conflict ... on average, have been killed by the state between 1.6 and 3.9 million civilians in each of the decades since the end of World War II ... " The reasons or causes underlying ethnic conflicts are often very complex and difficult to identify., but, we note two main reasons.
The first reason lies in the establishment of most modern states. The nation-state model is inspired by the European nationalism of the XVIII - XIX and led the way for the creation of American states, and, later, the African nations. Many ethnic conflicts occur because the integrative model of the nation-state is in contradiction with the social and ethnic identity of subordinate groups or minority.
The ensuing conflict can manifest itself in different forms, from individual attitude characterized by rejection, exclusion and hostility accompanied by stereotypes, prejudices, intolerance and discrimination at the level of interpersonal relationships, political action through institutional and secessionist movements, to the violent confrontations that can take the form of riots, massacres, genocide, riots, rebellions, revolutions, terrorism, civil war, wars of national liberation and war between states. Cultural genocide or ethnocide that often accompanies such conflicts are frequent in many countries around the world.
Neighboring countries can be easily induced to intervene in an ethnic conflict for their own reasons of state policy. For example, both Iran and Iraq have supported the Kurdish struggle against the state in the neighboring country; however, have been accused of repressing the Kurds in their own territory. India has accused Pakistan of supporting militant nationalist movement in the Punjab Sikh and a Muslim rebellion in Kashmir for its own geopolitical reasons. International comparisons of situations where ethnic conflicts occur denote the existence of recurring problems that give rise to ethnic mobilization and are the root cause of many ethnic conflicts.
The second reason is mainly due to vested interests. In hierarchical systems of interethnic relations, ethnic conflicts occur between groups that share relatively equal in wealth and power, one or more of the groups feared or perceived that their position relative to other ethnic group tends to deteriorate. These problems are linked to the distribution of resources and power, the question of land (reserves, colonization, immigration, and other); even more than language, religion, cultural identity, and discrimination based on race or color.
However, it can be argued that most cases of ethnic conflicts in the world occur in hierarchical systems of interethnic relations. In these systems, ethnic groups are ranked on a scale of power, prestige and wealth and located, generally in a subordinate position in relation to others, but what is most important, in the center of power and State apparatus are controlled to a greater or lesser extent, by a dominant ethnic group, leaving the subordinate ethnic group or ethnic groups in a situation of marginalization.
The major ethnic conflicts of the eighties, among which we mention: Northern Ireland, Eritrea, Burundi, South Africa, Western Sahara, Nicaragua, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, India and East Timor, were reminiscent of the ethnic conflicts that occurred earlier in Nigeria, Pakistan and Canada, involving not only a confrontation between ethnic groups but also between such groups and the State ethnocratic or state controlled by a dominant ethnic group.
The participation of major powers has increased as there have been many ethnic conflicts in the world. United States consistently support the Christians conflict in Lebanon, the Miskito’s against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, the government of Sri Lanka against the Tamil insurgency, the Philippine government against the Moors and the tribal rebellions, the Ovambo against the government of Angola and the Hmong against the government of Vietnam, among others. By early 1990, three Soviet Baltic republics declared independence unilaterally and received expressions of sympathy and understanding of the West, the same countries who fail the independence of the Basques, the Northern Irish, and the citizens of Quebec or Puerto Rico.
The persistence of such conflicts during relatively long and intense violence that may accompany them, has led some observers to distinguish between the "conflict of interest" and the "conflict of values" or "identity conflicts", the former are easier to negotiate or resolve than the latter. Ethnic conflicts are usually the second kind, in which the goals or objectives of the parties in conflict tend to be mutually exclusive or incompatible, and therefore much more difficult to resolve.
However, when ethnic differences are used consciously or unconsciously to distinguish between adversaries in a particular war, ethnicity effectively becomes a factor in the nature and dynamics of conflict. In a review of the nations at war for 1998, that a total of 120 conflicts in the world, 66 were domestic, 36 of them could be described as "wars of state formation"; it is a conflict involving a government and an opposition group that calls for autonomy or secession for a particular region and its ethnic composition.
In recent times, the world has seen reduce the number of multinationals wars, however, it has seed increased the number of ethnic conflicts, particularly in Third World countries. Another study indicates that "the massacres carried out by States members of ethnic and political groups representing more casualties than all other combined forms of deadly conflict ... on average, have been killed by the state between 1.6 and 3.9 million civilians in each of the decades since the end of World War II ... " The reasons or causes underlying ethnic conflicts are often very complex and difficult to identify., but, we note two main reasons.
The first reason lies in the establishment of most modern states. The nation-state model is inspired by the European nationalism of the XVIII - XIX and led the way for the creation of American states, and, later, the African nations. Many ethnic conflicts occur because the integrative model of the nation-state is in contradiction with the social and ethnic identity of subordinate groups or minority.
The ensuing conflict can manifest itself in different forms, from individual attitude characterized by rejection, exclusion and hostility accompanied by stereotypes, prejudices, intolerance and discrimination at the level of interpersonal relationships, political action through institutional and secessionist movements, to the violent confrontations that can take the form of riots, massacres, genocide, riots, rebellions, revolutions, terrorism, civil war, wars of national liberation and war between states. Cultural genocide or ethnocide that often accompanies such conflicts are frequent in many countries around the world.
Neighboring countries can be easily induced to intervene in an ethnic conflict for their own reasons of state policy. For example, both Iran and Iraq have supported the Kurdish struggle against the state in the neighboring country; however, have been accused of repressing the Kurds in their own territory. India has accused Pakistan of supporting militant nationalist movement in the Punjab Sikh and a Muslim rebellion in Kashmir for its own geopolitical reasons. International comparisons of situations where ethnic conflicts occur denote the existence of recurring problems that give rise to ethnic mobilization and are the root cause of many ethnic conflicts.
The second reason is mainly due to vested interests. In hierarchical systems of interethnic relations, ethnic conflicts occur between groups that share relatively equal in wealth and power, one or more of the groups feared or perceived that their position relative to other ethnic group tends to deteriorate. These problems are linked to the distribution of resources and power, the question of land (reserves, colonization, immigration, and other); even more than language, religion, cultural identity, and discrimination based on race or color.
However, it can be argued that most cases of ethnic conflicts in the world occur in hierarchical systems of interethnic relations. In these systems, ethnic groups are ranked on a scale of power, prestige and wealth and located, generally in a subordinate position in relation to others, but what is most important, in the center of power and State apparatus are controlled to a greater or lesser extent, by a dominant ethnic group, leaving the subordinate ethnic group or ethnic groups in a situation of marginalization.
The major ethnic conflicts of the eighties, among which we mention: Northern Ireland, Eritrea, Burundi, South Africa, Western Sahara, Nicaragua, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, India and East Timor, were reminiscent of the ethnic conflicts that occurred earlier in Nigeria, Pakistan and Canada, involving not only a confrontation between ethnic groups but also between such groups and the State ethnocratic or state controlled by a dominant ethnic group.
The participation of major powers has increased as there have been many ethnic conflicts in the world. United States consistently support the Christians conflict in Lebanon, the Miskito’s against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, the government of Sri Lanka against the Tamil insurgency, the Philippine government against the Moors and the tribal rebellions, the Ovambo against the government of Angola and the Hmong against the government of Vietnam, among others. By early 1990, three Soviet Baltic republics declared independence unilaterally and received expressions of sympathy and understanding of the West, the same countries who fail the independence of the Basques, the Northern Irish, and the citizens of Quebec or Puerto Rico.
The persistence of such conflicts during relatively long and intense violence that may accompany them, has led some observers to distinguish between the "conflict of interest" and the "conflict of values" or "identity conflicts", the former are easier to negotiate or resolve than the latter. Ethnic conflicts are usually the second kind, in which the goals or objectives of the parties in conflict tend to be mutually exclusive or incompatible, and therefore much more difficult to resolve.
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