Ethno-Territorial Conflict and Coexisten

Babak Rezvani studied ethno-territorial conflicts and peaceful coexistence between ethnic groups in (post-) Soviet Central Asia, the Caucasus and Fereydan (in Iran), all of which are ethnically, linguistically and religiously heterogeneous. The demographic dominance of titular groups in their autonomous region drastically increases the probability of conflict in regions of Central Eurasia. The transborder dominance of an ethnic group may also enhance the probability of such conflicts. In the first half of the twentieth century, and based on their own interpretation of the right to national self-determination, the policy-makers in the Soviet Union decided that the (larger) peoples should posses autonomous homelands. This policy resulted in a hierarchical ethno-territorial system that eventually is responsible for the outbreak of ethno-territorial conflicts after the demise of the Soviet empire.