Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

Preserving Peace? Decentralization and Separatist Struggles

Open to the Public

Decentralization or federalism has become a hotly debated alternative for managing intrastate conflicts. This talk presents an argument for understanding the differing capacity of decentralized states to contain the often violent struggles between ethnic and regional groups and the states in which they live.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
Residents of Grozny venture out to view the devastated city center, February 13, 1995.

About

In both policy and academic circles, decentralization or federalism has become a hotly debated alternative for managing intrastate conflicts. This talk presents an argument for understanding the differing capacity of decentralized states to contain the often violent struggles between ethnic and regional groups and the states in which they live. Empirically, the talk focuses on three conflictual center-region pairs: In Russia, Chechnya’s relationship to Moscow; in India, Punjab’s relationship to Delhi; and in Canada, Québec’s relationship to Ottawa.

For a statistical study related to this talk, see “Diversity, Disparity, and Civil Conflict in Federal States,” in World Politics, October 2006, pp. 1–50 (Kristin M. Bakke and Erik Wibbels).

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.