The International spread of ethnic conflict: fear, diffusion, and escalation

Abstract

The wave of ethnic conflict that has swept across parts of Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Africa has led to many political observers to fear that these conflicts are contagious. Initial outbreaks in such places as Bosnia, Chechnya and Rwanda, if not contained, appear capable of setting off epidemics of catastrophic proportions. In this volume, the editors have organized an ambitious, sophisticated exploration of both the origins and spread of ethnic conflict. The editors and contributors argue that ethnic conflict is not caused directly by intergroup differences or centuries old feuds and that the collapse of the Soviet Union did not simply uncork ethnic passions long surpressed. They look instead at how anxieties over security, competition for resources, breakdown in communication with the government, and the inability to make enduring commitments lead ethnic groups into conflict, and they consider the strategic interactions that underlie ethnic conflict and its effective management. How, why and when do ethnic conflicts either diffuse by precipitating similar conflicts elsewhere or escalate by bringing in outside parties? How can such transnational ethnic conflicts