When All Else Fails: Ethnic Population Transfers and Partitions in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

In the wake of the recent wars in Bosnia, Somalia, and Rwanda, decisionmakers and scholars continue to search for ways to manage ethnic conflict. Some contend that in the aftermath of such violence every effort must be made to promote the reestablishment of multiethnic societies that have been torn apart by ethnic strife. Others suggest that the only way to guarantee lasting peace is through the implementation of partition and population transfers. Recognizing that the permanent separation of warring ethnic groups is highly controversial, Chaim Kaufmann of Lehigh University recommends that separation should be implemented in only the most extreme cases. Kaufmann argues that when intergroup violence and mutual security threats are so severe that massive violence is all but guaranteed, separation represents, in effect, the lesser of two evils.