Politics of Ethnic Cleansing

This book sheds light on causes and consequences of ethnic cleansing in twentieth century Balkans with particular reference to former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. In providing a thorough analysis of large-scale episodes of ethnic cleansing in modern Balkan history, this book fills an important gap in existing conflict and peace studies literature. Offering a top-down interpretation of the expulsion of ethno-national minorities as a means of state-building, the analysis rests on a fresh, multidimensional approach, which provides an eclectic discussion of nationalism, politics, and security. Klejda Mulaj establishes an agenda for policy-making and future research by making specific proposals for clearing up present ambiguities in international humanitarian law related to ethnic cleansing, rethinking humanitarian intervention with a view to restoring long-term viability of the target states, and repudiating the argument for forced homogenization as a conflict resolution strategy--Publisher's description.