The Management and Mismanagement of Ethno -Regional Conflicts: The Case of South Asia

Abstract

While the scheme is designed for application to any ethno-regional conflict, I apply it to three cases in South Asia that represent different conflict levels of management. Indian Mizoram represents successful management, with the case of the break-up of Pakistan portraying the polar opposite, failed management by the state. Sri Lanka, a case of conflict protraction, falls between these two extremes. Through an analysis of these cases, the aim is to test and refine the broad evolutionary trends identified in my scheme. Insights from these cases assist in developing tentative propositions of conflict management. These, in turn, can prove useful both in preventing future conflicts, and in providing clues to altering the paths of ongoing conflicts.