Weak States and Ethnic Conflict: State Collapse and Reconstruction in Africa

Much of today’s ethnic conflict can be found in the developing world, particularly on the vast continents of Africa and Asia. The large number of communal groups living here, combined with the artificial nature of state borders drawn by European colonial powers, has furnished hothouse conditions for ethnic competition. Within the developing world, Africa accounts for a large proportion of conflicts based on ethnicity, kinship, religion, and other identity markers.