Ethnonationalist Conflict in Postcommunist States

Maria Koinova is Associate Professor of Politics and International Studies at Warwick University.

• List of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Applying Path-Dependence, Timing, and Sequencing in Conflict AnalysisChapter 1. The Majority-Minority Relationship and the Formation of Informally Institutionalized Conflict DynamicsChapter 2. Self-Reinforcing Processes in the Majority-Minority RelationshipChapter 3. International Intervention During the Formative PeriodChapter 4. International Agents, Self-Reinforcement of Conflict Dynamics, and Processes of ChangeChapter 5. Intervention of Identity-Based Agents: Kin-States and DiasporasChapter 6. Change in Conflict DynamicsChapter 7. Continuity in Conflict DynamicsConclusions: Lessons Learned About Informally Institutionalized Conflict DynamicsNotesBibliographyIndexAcknowledgments

"Koinova . . . is interested in why ethnonationalist conflicts vary in the level of violence they generate, why violence at whatever level persists, and when and why things change for the better or the worse. To get at the answers, she explores three cases, similar in their characteristics but different in their outcomes: Bulgaria (where majority-minority conflict has been free of violence), Kosovo (where it has not), and Macedonia (somewhere in between). Elaborate but lucid theorizing informs her explanations." (Foreign Affairs) "The book is innovative because it provides an alternative way of theorising governance of majority-minority relations and it opens up new thinking about EU enlargement into the post- communist Western Balkans." (Political Studies Review) "A conceptually sophisticated and empirically rich study. . . . Koinova uses comparative case studies of Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian policies toward Kosovo to explore the level and duration of violence among groups. Internal conflict dynamics are critical, especially interactions between ethnic majorities and minorities in the final days of communist rule. Sequencing is also important, making outcomes contingent and dependent on agency. Koinova's excellent book is an essential read for anyone interested in the Balkans, ethnic conflict and the study of politics more generally." (Richard Ned Lebow, King's College London) "In this nicely written and richly conceptualized comparative study, Maria Koinova compellingly argues that periods of "critical juncture" -such as state collapse, new state formation, or major regime change-engender enduring patterns of ethnonational conflict. These patterns emerge through the interactions of majority and minority political actors and international agents that are active participants of the formative period." (Zsuzsa Csergő, Queen's University)