There is no such thing as ethnic war.
Traditionally the phenomena ethnicity is intimately related with the field of .
anthropology. In terms of emphasis and concern, it came into prominence in the .
field of International Relations after the World War II era- with the emergence of .
many new independent countries, and especially after the cold war period- in the .
pursuit of seeking correlation between instability or conflict in some regional .
systems with that of ethnic elements of those regional systems. The regions that are .
considered as ethnic strife-prone are: Western Europe- Ireland, Belgium, .
Switzerland, France and Spain; Eastern Europe- Yogoslavia and newly independent .
countries of former Soviet Union; the Mediterranean and the Middle East- Cyprus, .
Turkey, Lebanon and Israel; Africa- virtually every nation; Asia- from Pakistan to .
the Philippines; and the Americas- from Canada throughout the Caribbean. Despite .
the apparent correlation of ethnicity and instability or conflict in these regional .
systems-there are many important and intricate factors comprising of political, .
economic and military aspects- that are the very roots of those conflicts. Actually .
there is no ethnic war except when they are termed as such in order to disguise other .
warfare- economic, ideological, struggle for power or even covert operation or .
interference in other states affairs.
2. Aspects of Ethnicity, Nationalism and Nation State:.
The word ethnic is derived from the Greek word eethnos, which originally .
meant heathen or pagan. It was used in this sense until the mid-19th century when it .
gradually began to refer to eracial characteristics. Around the second World War .
eethnics came to be used in the United States as a polite term referring to Jews, .
Italians, Irish and other peoples considered inferior to the dominant groups mainly .
from British descendent. According to Yelvington- ethnicity is an aspect of social .