Ethnic Conflict Research Articles

Ethnic Tensions and Global Response: Disentangling the Complexities of the Bosnian War

This article critically examines the Bosnian War within the broader framework of international law, with a specific focus on understanding its role in managing ethnic conflicts. The aim is to analyze the effectiveness of international law in addressing the complex dynamics of ethnic strife, particularly in the context of post-Cold War Yugoslavia. The key hypothesis guiding this research posits that international legal mechanisms, while crucial, faced significant challenges and limitations in effectively resolving the ethnic conflicts that characterized the Bosnian War. The study delves into the historical and socio-political factors fueling ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia, highlighting how nationalism and ethnic separatism culminated in widespread violence. The article critically evaluates the international response to the conflict, including the effectiveness of UN Peacekeeping Forces and the Dayton Peace Agreement, and discusses the broader implications for global peace and security. Furthermore, the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is explored as a key development in international law. The study assesses the impact of the ICTY on promoting accountability and justice, and its role in facilitating reconciliation efforts post-conflict. The findings of this study have significant relevance for contemporary international law, offering insights into its potential in preventing and resolving ethnic conflicts in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Mengintegrasikan Pendidikan Multikultural dalam Upaya Resolusi Konflik Etnis

This research elucidates the crucial role of education in addressing ethnic conflicts through the integration of a multicultural approach into the curriculum and learning processes. It is a literature review analyzing scholarly articles, books, and previous research related to efforts to integrate multicultural education for achieving ethnic conflict resolution. The findings reveal several key aspects: cultural identity awareness, inclusive learning, intercultural dialogue, and education for social justice. Firstly, multicultural education aids in understanding and appreciating cultural identities, reducing ethnic stereotypes. Secondly, inclusive curriculum ensures equal representation for various ethnic groups. Thirdly, intercultural dialogue promotes communication and understanding among ethnic groups. Fourthly, multicultural education aims to create a fair and equal environment, minimizing inequalities that may trigger conflicts. In conclusion, integrating multicultural education into ethnic conflict resolution is vital for creating a harmonious and peaceful society. The significance of cultural identity awareness, inclusive learning, intercultural dialogue, and social justice underscores the essential steps toward achieving these goals. Implementing this approach in the education system can positively contribute to reducing ethnic conflicts and promoting peace at the local, national, and global levels.

Resolution to Ethnic Conflict: Anti-Chinese Riots in Garut, Indonesia, in the middle of the Twentieth Century

The Anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia are a dark side of history that must be uncovered. The riots caused by ethnicity and racism worldwide, such as the recent Anti-Chinese issue in the United States, also occurred even in Indonesia after World War II. The racial riots in Garut destroyed Chinese-owned houses, factories, and shops on two consecutive days. The research uses historical methods, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography, that reveal the memories of victims, perpetrators, witnesses, and rare primary personal archives. Through a social history approach, the research indicates that not only ethnicity causes violence but also social, political, and religious sentiments initiated by youth organizations, local religious leaders, and former followers of the revolutionary movement. This study provides benefits so that the public and stakeholders can manage ethnic, religious, racial, and inter-group issues to avoid ethnic conflicts that end in violence.

Signals of belonging: emergence of signalling norms as facilitators of trust and parochial cooperation.

Mechanisms of social control reinforce norms that appear harmful or wasteful, such as mutilation practises or extensive body tattoos. We suggest such norms arise to serve as signals that distinguish between ingroup 'friends' and outgroup 'foes', facilitating parochial cooperation. Combining insights from research on signalling and parochial cooperation, we incorporate a trust game with signalling in an agent-based model to study the dynamics of signalling norm emergence in groups with conflicting interests. Our results show that costly signalling norms emerge from random acts of signalling in minority groups that benefit most from parochial cooperation. Majority groups are less likely to develop costly signalling norms. Yet, norms that prescribe sending costless group identity signals can easily emerge in groups of all sizes-albeit, at times, at the expense of minority group members. Further, the dynamics of signalling norm emergence differ across signal costs, relative group sizes, and levels of ingroup assortment. Our findings provide theoretical insights into norm evolution in contexts where groups develop identity markers in response to environmental challenges that put their interests at odds with the interests of other groups. Such contexts arise in zones of ethnic conflict or during contestations of existing power relations. This article is part of the theme issue 'Social norm change: drivers and consequences'.

From God to Orphan: The Deep Humanity and Deep Ecology of Limba Palm Wine Practice

Abstract This article’s research situates the local values, livelihoods, and stories of Limba palm wine practice within a discourse of ecospirituality and environmental sustainability using interdisciplinary methods to integrate perspectives from diverse fields including religious studies, peace studies, and Africana studies. Our longitudinal analysis incorporates field research conducted among the Limba of Sierra Leone between 1961 to the present by multiple researchers, providing an in-depth examination of palm wine traditions contextualized across a range of West African communities. The authors assert that Limba palm wine tapping has helped sustain important values and ways of life throughout a turbulent history encompassing periodic episodes of ethnic conflict, structural and traumatic violence, and environmental instability. Thus, Limba palm wine culture demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge, honored traditions, and sacred rituals empower spiritual and ecological worldviews that speak directly to processes of reparative reconciliation and resiliency.

Nigerian identity crisis: what’s behind the growing insecurity and separatism?

ABSTRACT There is a debate on whether ethnicity is a tool or the driver of intergroup conflict. Arguably, African ethnic conflicts emerge from colonization, struggle for political power and resources, lack of shared national values and identity. Conceptually, this article analyzes how colonization is linked to African ethnic crisis, how ‘ethno-social identity’ is conceptualized as well as the relationship between ethnic polarization, ‘ethnocorruption’, insecurity, and separatism, with a focus on Nigeria. The article evaluates the causes of state dysfunctionality and identity dilemma of the ethnocentric federalism reflected in the ‘Who I am of the population’. There is a crisis related to the state of origin (indigenes and non-indigenes), as well as the ethnicity identity dilemma of ‘I am Hausa’, ‘I am Fulani’, ‘I am Yoruba’, ‘I am Igbo’, etc. A minority which can be classified as ‘tribeless elites’ dominate the political space. In recent times, the country has become embroiled in kidnapped democracy, insecurity, and corruption. There are more worrying conflicts – Fulani herders and non-Fulani farmers’ clashes over arable land, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and Unknown Gunmen occurrences – which threaten the unity of the country. The socio-economic underdevelopment and breakdown of moral values have forced thousands of young people to join the Obidient movement or ‘Japa’ overseas.

Some legal aspects of Russian policy towards neighbouring countries

Russia’s policy towards neighbouring countries and nations has always been dictated by imperialist and expansionist goals. To achieve them, Russia used brutal methods, including direct military aggression, incit­ing ethnic conflicts, genocide and ethnic cleansing. There are many examples of this in history in the form of the genocide of the Caucasian nations in the 19th century, the Holodomor against Ukrainian people, Soviet repres­sions, the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, and others. Nevertheless, Russia has not been held accountable for its actions. The war against Ukraine, which started in February 2022, dispelled all illusions of the democratic world towards Russia. Today, the democratic world is united, and the primary basis of this unity is the values, which it must bear responsibility for protecting. For this purpose, all international legal levers and institutions should be used. Russia’s leadership must be brought to justice, and the country must be held financially accountable. The only way for peace between Russia and the world is the democratisation of Russia, which is only possible through international legal coercion, as happened in the case of Nazi Germany. This article is an attempt to present the specific facts of Russia’s aggressive and imperialist policy towards neighbouring countries, especially towards Georgia, the specific legal levers for combating this policy, and future perspectives.

Building Peace after Self-Determination and Partition: Faulty Assumptions?

Abstract Since the 1990s, scholars have debated whether partition, the most radical solution to ethnic conflicts, promotes peace or not. Drawing on the peacebuilding and war recurrence literature, I contribute to this debate by theorizing reasons that newly independent states emerging from partition are likely to suffer from new conflicts between former pro-independence allies. At the domestic level, former pro-independence groups, assumed to be a unitary actor by partition proponents, are likely to fragment as their unity was based on achieving the goal of independence. Furthermore, newly independent states tend to suffer from very weak institutions, and citizens develop strong frustrations toward their new states because their unrealistically high expectations are unmet. At the international level, international peacebuilders tend to wrongly assume that the unity within the pro-independence camp will last after independence and that the pro-independence people are essentially “good guys.” As a result, they often misunderstand the post-conflict political dynamics of new states, which reduces the effectiveness of their peacebuilding efforts. My arguments are illustrated through analyzing why Timor-Leste and South Sudan, the closest to typical partition cases in the twenty-first century, faced the 2006 Crisis and the 2013 Civil War, respectively.

TRANSFORMATION OF MAASAI- ABAGUSII CO-EXISTENCE DURING SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE DECOLONIZATION PERIOD (1939-1963)

documented historical truth and ongoing situation. This phenomenon can be attributed to the tendency of many communities to deliberately or inadvertently exploit ethnicity as a means to maintain their power and control in an environment marked by limited resources, fear, and bias. The prevalence of ethnic conflicts in this country is so extensive that there is scarcely any region where the issue has not emerged: Western, Rift Valley, Nyanza, Coast, Central, North Eastern, Eastern, and even Nairobi. It is crucial to thoroughly examine the historical framework of inter-community interactions when addressing ethnic and boundary conflicts in the present time. This aspect should not be underestimated in this particular situation. This research presents historical empirical facts that can be utilized to effectively control future conflicts between the Maasai and the Abagusi communities in Kenya. The main aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the relationship between the Maasai and Abagusii communities throughout the Second World War and the period of decolonization from 1939 to 1963. The objective of this study was to gather relevant information regarding the consequences of previous and possible ethnic conflicts on peace and sustainable development, as well as to identify strategies for both mitigating and managing such conflicts. The findings from this study have the potential to significantly enhance other research efforts on conflicts in Kenya, Africa, and beyond. The data was acquired from oral interviews, archival sources, and papers about inter-ethnic violence, as well as boundary and resource conflicts in Kenya.

Assessing the Geo-Strategic Implications of France’s Withdrawal from the Sahel

Since their independence, postcolonial Sahelian republics have lived in the shadow of Paris, as the French have maintained enormous influence over their former African colonies, particularly those in the Sahel region. France’s self-proclaimed decades-long restoration of relations with Sahelian countries has achieved varied outcomes. France’s relations with the five Sahelian countries have been hampered by a colonial heritage that France has been hesitant to admit. Furthermore, it has been harmed by the years that followed African independence in the early 1960s, as well as by “França frique” – an era defined by collusion and involvement with illegitimate regimes. However, much has changed, and France is now facing opposition from Francophone Sahelian republics and communities. This has resulted in France’s economic, political, and military departure. The geostrategic consequences of France’s disengagement from the Sahel are examined in this study. A comprehensive desk review including secondary data is used in the paper. The paper concludes that France’s disengagement from the Sahel has far-reaching consequences. First, Salafi-Jihadist extremist organizations have discovered new leeway for maneuver (and more armaments), fomenting and exploiting sectarian and ethnic conflicts in countries that are multi-ethnic and multi-faith due to their often artificial colonial origins. Second, the French withdrawal will exacerbate geopolitical conflicts between Great Powers and Area Boys like Algeria.

Deconstruction of organised crime and research of war victimisation

There are many indications that various aspects and factors of large-scale war victimization could be made visible through the collection and analyses of data on organized crime in post-conflict societies. War victimisation could be understood as an outcome of opportunistic criminal activity: war conditions offer the unique opportunity to criminals and criminal groups (especially those involved in military or paramilitary formations) not only to restrain their destructive personal potentials but also to attain a new identity as ?national heroes? and gain a significantly better economic position as advantageous ?investments? to post-war criminal business. Crimes in war as well as war crimes, often perceived as basically launched by nationalistic (?blood and belonging?) ideology, could be examined from a broader hypothetical framework: nationalist ideologies should be considered not only as drives but also as means. By identifying themselves primarily as members of a specific nation who ?defend? (or victimize) a specific ethnic group, criminals of war provide not only the legitimization of crimes against other nations/ethnic groups but also of crimes against (primarily political) opponents within their ethnic group. The main aim of this paper is to argue for research on the continuity of organised criminal activities before, during and after ethnic conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia. This kind of research is argued to be a promising tool for the assessment of links between war and organized crime victimization as a way of getting a more comprehensive picture of the recent past. Research findings may further be used as the basis for creating comprehensive regional security strategies. Moreover, although the focus of this paper is on organised crime committed during the wars on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, its analyses and conclusions may be applicable to other similar contexts, including contemporary armed conflicts in different parts of the world.

Post-conflict Peace-building in Sri Lanka: An analysis of Transformative approach

Peace-building is a condition in which long-lasting peace is established and preventing violence by analyzing the root causes of the conflict. Many of the third-world countries are tasked with peace-building after the 1990s. Internal conflicts and civil wars are common in these countries and most of them are the result of ethnic conflicts. Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict which resulted in a three-year-long civil war ended in 2009. This article analyzes the peace-building process in Sri Lanka with the transformative theory of peace-building.

Bezbednosne krize kao faktor migracija ka Evropskoj uniji

Security crises around the world as generators of migration are not a phenomenon of modern times, but the issue of migrant integration is becoming increasingly urgent due to the large number of migrants who have entered Europe over the past two decades. The recent surge has been driven by the growing number of regional conflicts, leading to migration of Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Afghans, and Eritreans who are fleeing war, ethnic conflict, or economic hardship, risking their lives in attempts to reach Europe. In recent times, transit countries like Hungary and Croatia have recorded a significant influx, while Germany has seen the largest absolute increase in first time asylum applicants due to its favorable policies towards migration and asylum seekers, as well as its relatively stable economy and high standard of living. In 2023, the political debate in the European Union focused on the major challenges facing the EU and its member states, particularly the development of the security situation in Ukraine and the management of migration, promoting integration policies that could have social, economic, and political impacts on the European Union. This paper aims to analyze the reports of international organizations to highlight the key security crises as factors driving migration to the European Union.

Identity and Ethnic Conflict in Northeast India: A Historical and Comparative Approach

Identity and Ethnic Conflict in Northeast India: A Historical and Comparative Approach

Political Activities of Roman Senators during the Visigothic Siege of Rome (408–410 AD)

This article analyses the position of the Roman senatorial aristocracy in the early fifth century, namely in 408–410 AD. Based on a set of sources, primarily, information obtained from the works of Zosimus and Olympiodorus, the author concludes that representatives of the Roman Senate were independent subjects of the political process, especially after the fall of the Stilicho regime, when the aristocrats lost their usual patronage from the central government due to Alaric’s siege of Rome in 408. In their new position, senators needed to quickly get used to performing a wide range of political, primarily diplomatic, functions, and mainly, find ways to reach a compromise on various issues within the class. The actions of the senators, led by Alaric's protйgй Priscus Attalus, to resolve the food crisis in Rome, normalise the situation in the capital and reach a consensus with Honorius' government in Ravenna were unsuccessful. The Roman senators were unable to fulfil their duties because of the discrepancy between their ideas about the conduct of political affairs and reality, the habit of acting on the basis of personal interests, the refusal to act in the interests of the corporation and of Rome as a whole, and ethnic hostility towards the Visigoths. It should also be taken into account that the failure of the Roman senators to pursue an independent policy could be linked to the lack of leaders recognised by all, or at least most, of the senators. Finally, Zosimus' comments on the political incompetence of Roman senators and their economic self-interest in the early fifth century should be treated with caution.

African states and conflicts: a study of Northern Zone of Plateau State

Since the 1960s, African states have passed through different conflicts with reasons such as politics, ethnic, religious, and resource-based conflicts such as border or land disputes, and several other causes. The Northern Senatorial zone of Plateau State, Nigeria has witnessed several violent conflicts between 2001 and 2023 with several scholars assessing the immediate causes and its impact without looking at the remote causes. This study examines the history of conflicts in the Northern Plateau Senatorial zone and its persistent nature with its root causes. The study adopted history research method, which comprised primary and secondary sources. Data was obtained by the researcher from oral interviews in the Jos metropolis and across Plateau North. Also, books and Journals from the University of Jos and the National Library Jos branch provided quality data. The conflict in the Northern Plateau comprising five out of the six local council areas evolved from instances of clashes and skirmishes as a result of spontaneous ethnic and religious provocations and reactions to planned attacks between Christians and Muslins in Jos North and South starting from 2001, guerilla-style reprisals, cattle rustling, herder/farmer clashes across Bassa, Riyom and Barkin Ladi LGAs. The study found out that the root cause of conflicts in the Northern Plateau was the British colonial policies of the 1900s, which led to the massive influx of immigrants that settled permanently in Jos North and South, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bassa LGAs. The study discovers that the conflict in Northern Plateau has led to pervasive insecurity of lives and property, as evidenced by the spate of cattle rustling, armed robbery attacks, assassinations, and ethnic and religious feuds coupled with the seeming helplessness of security agencies to handle criminal attacks on civilian populations in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Bassa LGAs. The study recommends that security can be secure if freedom and justice are allowed to reign through arresting perpetrators and punishing them severely, allowing freedom of economic, political and social participation for all citizens of Plateau State without ethnic or religious discrimination.

The Need for Democratization of Security in Nigeria

Nigeria, the most populous nation in the African continent, though rich in culture and resources, has been plagued by various security challenges, including terrorism, ethnic and religious conflicts, armed banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality. Poor governance, economic instability, and the constant incidence of communal conflicts and violent crimes have marred the nation’s reputation both locally and internationally. The inability of the government to effectively address these security threats has led to widespread fear, displacement of communities, loss of lives and livelihoods, and hindered economic growth. The populace does not feel safe and is quite wary of their future. People are becoming increasingly vocal about the lack of security and justice in Nigeria, and their exasperation often takes the form of violence and civil unrest. This state of Nigeria is a serious cause for concern as it is not only detrimental to the country’s development but can also become a potential threat to the region. It is therefore important that the current situation in Nigeria be rectified, and constructive measures need to be taken to ensure the security and well-being of its citizens. This paper seeks to explore the urgent need for the democratization of security in Nigeria to enhance accountability, ensure transparency, and empower communities in the decision-making processes related to security. It will focus on the democratization of security and the rule of law to essentially create an environment where the population feels safe and is free of violence. The paper will propose that in order to improve the security situation in Nigeria, it is imperative that there be a system of security and justice that is accountable to the Nigerian people. This must replace the current situation, which is the maintenance of security and the dispensation of justice as tools for the survival of the regime in power. This has been the case in Nigeria because historically, the instruments of the state have been used to serve the interests of a small ruling elite, rather than protect the welfare of the Nigerian people.

Healthy lifestyle culture formed through prism of self-understanding of personal and social identity

The present research results are important from a new perspective for revealing the problem of self-understanding of the personality of the titular ethnic group of Kyrgyzstan and other nationalities living in the country, aged up to 30 years or older. Empirical and experimental data confirmed that living in the ethnocultural conditions of a young sovereign state, on the one hand, has a similar effect on the development of self-understanding of personal and social identity both among representatives of the titular ethnic group of Kyrgyzstan and among other large ethnic groups living in modern Kyrgyzstan, and so, the I-Ideal and a positive attitude towards other groups play a central role in the formation of self-identity and of a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, the issues of xenophobia-xenophilia and of control of beliefs are important to consider in the development of self-understanding of personal and social identity of representatives of other nations living in Kyrgyzstan. Without finding a balance between the I-Ideal and the I-Real, xenophobia-xenophilia, developing a balanced Self-Identity can be extremely difficult for representatives of other peoples living in Kyrgyzstan, which will inevitably lead to ethnic conflicts and clashes on national grounds.

Socio-economic Causes of Ethnic Conflicts in the Ferghana Valley <br>

Socio-economic Causes of Ethnic Conflicts in the Ferghana Valley <br>

Psychological and pedagogical problems of personal self-understanding in Kyrgyz society

This article presents the results of the study, which from a new perspective are important for revealing the problem of self-understanding of the individual. Through empirical and experimental data, it is confirmed that living in the ethno-cultural conditions of a young sovereign state, on the one hand, has a similar effect on the development of self-understanding of personal and social identity both among representatives of the titular ethnic group of Kyrgyzstan and other large ethnic groups living in modern Kyrgyzstan, and so, I am an Ideal and positive attitude In relation to other people's groups, they play a central role in the formation of Self-Identity. On the other hand, it is important to take into account the issues of xenophobia, xenophilia, and control of beliefs when developing self-understanding of personal and social identity of representatives of other people’s living in Kyrgyzstan. Without finding a balance between the Ideal Self and the Real Self, xenophobia and xenophilia, the process of becoming a balanced Self-Identity can be extremely difficult for representatives of other people’s living in Kyrgyzstan, which will inevitably lead to ethnic conflicts, clashes on national grounds.