This chapter introduces students to the study of terrorism and ethnic, religious, and national conflicts. The chapter delineates the causes of and solutions for these conflicts as perceived by the three perspectives.  The chapter also discusses the idea that democracy itself can create a sort of identity.  If we see citizens from other democratic states as part of our tribe, this can be the basis for a much more ordered, less violent, international system where conflicts are resolved through negotiation and shared understanding of fair processes.

Identity perspectives focus on religious, ethnic, and national differences and on the role of political reform in integrating different groups and promoting tolerance.  The identity perspective sees ethnic conflicts as socially created and advocates tolerance and democratization as the most effective answers.

Ethnic, religious, and national conflicts are a common occurrence in today’s world, and how we view their causes largely determines what we will suggest as the best possible solution. The realist perspective, for example, often claims that ethnic conflicts are the result of hard-wired psychological needs. Since these are enduring features in human society, the realist perspective often suggest accommodating different identities through partition and a stable balance of power are the only ways to end these struggles. The liberal perspective, meanwhile, often sees elite manipulation as a source of ethnic conflict and therefore suggests reconciliation and institutional solutions, like federalism, as an alternative to conflict. The identity perspective, finally, sees ethnic, religious, and national conflict as ideationally constructed and believe that the creation of new norms – like tolerance and democracy – can provide solutions to these problems.