The Business of Ethnic Conflict

This article examines the ingredients and effects of the explosive cocktail of crime, corruption, politics, and ethnic extremism. It argues that a number of contemporary conflicts seem intractable because in each case at least one of the parties has a vested interest in perpetuating and profiting from instability. The article suggests that attempts should be made to decouple ethnic issues from criminal ones in order to have a better chance of resolving conflict and preventing extremists from becoming spoilers. It looks at the crime–conflict relationship in conflict and post-conflict situations, particularly in Europe, and concludes by advocating a paradigm shift in order to bring new thinking and fresh policy approaches to a recurrent and persistent problem.