Ethnic Conflicts (GLOBI-GC 2010)

The fall of the Berlin Wall on 11/9/1989 through the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11/2001 marked a pivotal epoch that bridged millennia and shattered the peace.

This course analyzes the dynamics of ethnic conflicts in comparative perspective emphasizing the influence of culture, history, identity, leadership, and nationalism as well as the evolving influence, constructive and destructive, of new technologies.

The arguments of Jesse and Williams, Koff, Chalk, and Rotberg are analyzed with those of other analysts in order to provide a conceptual orientation for our interactions with scholars and practitioners in the field.

Our understanding of conflict in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the 1990s as well as Guatemala in the early 21^st century impact on the way in which relations among nations after the Cold War were interpreted – less rational and structural, as during the period 1945-89 – and influenced more by culture, identity, and religion.

A discussion of specific conflicts in terms of the primordial (ancient hatreds) and social constructionist schools (elite (political entrepreneur) manipulation/ modernization), complements our analysis of factors having an impact on deep-rooted conflict, namely, decolonization, the end of the Cold War, and the state in crisis.

Specific modules emphasize the importance of narratives in Middle East violence.