Military Strategy in Ethnic Conflicts

Abstract

Abstract : This quotation aptly describes the international environment we face today, yet it was written nearly twenty years ago (1979) in the midst of the Cold War. Furthermore, its author, citing over 40 bloodlettings from 1945-79 involving over 14 million deaths, argued that the prevailing bi-polar international order made ethnic conflicts more rather than less difficult to deal with because the superpowers were constrained from intervention by concern that their actions might lead to a larger war. It is therefor ironic to find so many of today's observers of the international scene arguing that the Cold War kept a lid on ethnic conflict and that with its passing this type of conflict is likely to proliferate. Yet as one survey the globe it is easy to cite dozens of locations where ethnic violence has either recently occurred or could break out in the near future. My purpose is not to argue the accuracy of either view, but rather to show that ethnic conflict is an ongoing feature of the international arena that has always been difficult for the world's major powers to handle. In this paper I will address the question of why ethnic conflicts are so difficult, then look at whether and how military interventions can contribute to the successful management/resolution of these disputes.