ABSTRACT
Many conflicts around the world are attributed to a lack of self-determination. New independent states such as Croatia, Eritrea and Bangladesh were created with significant human cost resulting from armed struggle. Kurds, Tibetans, Palestinians and Kosovar Albanians have been struggling to achieve political autonomy and independence. Self-determination can be understood in terms of policies and practices that can manage inter-ethnic rivalries. Multi-ethnic polities have been the norm through the ages. This chapter examines the definition, institutional mechanisms and practical application of self-determination. Micro-nationalism has often been manifested in historical legacies of oppression and violence dating back many centuries. The Croatian and Bosnian Serbs' practices of ethnic cleansing represent an extreme form of exclusion and reject the notion of community that transcends ethnicity and religion. Conflict can be managed by social and economic policies that attempt to separate ethnic and class affiliations.
