The Dynamics of Ethnopolitical Conflict Management by International and Regional Organizations in Europe

Ethnic tensions and conflicts are prominent political phenomena. For example, several states in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus have experienced such tensions in recent years. The nature of these conflicts has ranged from violent wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, to less intense but nevertheless violent conflicts in Moldova and Georgia, to largely non-violent tenstions in Serbia, the Baltics and Ukraine. The management and prevention of such conflicts, which have also occurred in other parts of the world, have been among the main security challenges in the post-Cold War era. As a result, international organizations (IOs) such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have paid considerable attention to such conflicts, and have - to varying degrees - been involved in conflict intervention and post-conflict settlement and reconstruction.