Nationalism and Civil War

Catalog description

History shows that civil wars fought between ethnic or religious groups are bloodier and longer-lasting than nearly any other type of conflict. Yet, at the same time, most ethnic groups live in peace with one another, making war the exception. Why are “ethnic civil wars” so intractable? How can they be prevented or resolved? Is religious or ethnic nationalism incompatible with civic nationalism, or can competing sources of identity coexist peacefully? We address these questions by applying social science research to current and historical cases of civil war.