Back to Search
Start Over
The Geography of Fear: Regional Ethnic Diversity, the Security Dilemma and Ethnic War.
- Source :
-
European Journal of International Relations . Mar2009, Vol. 15 Issue 1, p95-124. 30p. - Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- This article explores to what extent the security dilemma through geographically induced first-strike advantages is a contributing cause of ethnic warfare. If there are possibly decisive advantages to be gained from striking the first blow, both temptation and fear may shortcut efforts to resolve a conflict in less costly ways, and trigger massive violence. Theoretical work and case studies suggest that in ethnic conflicts intermingled settlement patterns give rise to such first-strike advantages. I test whether ethnic groups in conflict are more likely to become involved in ethnic warfare if their main region of settlement is ethnically diverse. I also include controls intended to capture other aspects of the security dilemma. In robustness tests, I add indicators of group concentration and local majority status that have been found to increase the risk of ethnic violence in previous quantitative studies. I find a strong, statistically significant association between regional ethnic diversity and ethnic warfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13540661
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- European Journal of International Relations
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 36777088
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066108100054