CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ethnic and National Confilicts

Study
Ethnic, religious, and national conflicts are a common occurance in today's world, and how one views their causes largely determines what one will suggest as the best possible solution. Realists, for example, often claim that ethnic conflicts are the result of hard-wired cognitive or situational needs. Since these are enduring features, realist perspectives often suggest that partition and a stable balance of power are the only ways to end these struggles. Liberals, meanwhile, often see elite manipulation as a source of ethnic conflict and subsequently suggest federalism as the best solution. Identity perspectives, finally, see ethnic, religious, and national conflict as ideationally constructed and believe that the creation of new norms—like tolerance and democracy—can provide solutions to these problems.

Study Questions

1. How do liberal perspectives view ethnic conflict, and based on this, what type of solution would they likely propose?
   



2. What is nationalism? What would realist perspectives propose when dealing with nationalist conflicts?
   



3. What is the basis for the China-Taiwan conflict, and what type of conflict is it?