All over the world, ethnic groups are striving to break away from the larger political entities that control their affairs. The quest for self-determination is one of the most persistent, pervasive movements of this century. Dov Ronen proposes in this interpretive essay that ethnic nationalism is simply the newest form of a basic human drive for self-determination that has been manifested in four other movements since the French Revolution: nineteenth-century nationalism, Marxist-Leninist class self-determination, self-determination for minorities as espoused by Wilson, and decolonization....

This volume provides an overall assessment of ethnic diversity in central Europe in historical context and presents a critical assessment of the conflict in former Yugoslavia. It advances a hypothesis on the origins of ethnic conflict, proposes an approach to the prevention and reduction of ethnic conflict in general and in central Europe in particular, and forwards concrete policy recommendations for the region of east and central Europe and beyond.