David A. Lake and Donald Rothchild

Contrary to popular belief, ethnic conflict does not result from ancient hatreds that are suddenly released by the breakdown of government, argue David A. Lake and Donald Rothchild in the following viewpoint. Instead, they contend that as a government disintegrates, ethnic groups become fearful and anxious about the future. These concerns can easily slide into violence if one group begins to believe that another ethnic group threatens its security, the authors maintain. Lake is a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego and the research director for international relations at the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation in San Diego. Rothchild is a professor of political science at the University of California, Davis.

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