Abstract

Most conflicts in the current international environment are rooted in nationalistic and ethnic clashes. The scope of ethnic violence in the past decade has produced an increasing and alarming number of civilian victims as well as massive destruction of the infrastructure of the states involved. Often, such conflicts have assumed an international dimension by involving multiples states. This thesis analyzes the ethnic conflict that erupted in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and became one of the most significant and devastating of all ethnic conflicts that have taken place in the post Cold War period. In particular, the thesis has two goals. First, it will seek to identify the main reasons that caused this ethnic violence, in a state that had been famous for its inter-ethnic peace in the communist period, through the critical assessment of modern comparative politics theoretical approaches. Second, the thesis will also explore and evaluate the major strategies and techniques of ethnic conflict management that have been used by national and international actors. The central argument of the thesis is that both the causes and the effective management tools of ethnic conflicts are multiple: no single theory can explain them and no single formula of conflict management can be used in their settlement. As such each conflict requires an individually tailored solution.