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Religious Affinities and International Intervention in Ethnic Conflicts in the Middle East and Beyond

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 April 2009

Jonathan Fox ,
Patrick James  and
Yitan Li
Jonathan Fox*
Affiliation:
Bar Ilan University
Patrick James*
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
Yitan Li*
Affiliation:
Seattle University
*
Jonathan Fox, Department of Political Studies, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, foxjon@mail.biu.ac.il.
Patrick James, School of International Relations, University of Southern California, 3518 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA, patrickj@usc.edu.
Yitan Li, Political Science Department, Seattle University, 901 12thAve., Seattle, WA 98122, USA, liy@seattleu.edu.
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Abstract

Abstract. This study asks questions that are important for both theory and policy: Do ethnoreligious minorities attract more intervention than other ethnic minorities? Do Middle Eastern and Islamic ethnic minorities attract more international intervention than ethnic minorities living elsewhere, and if so, why? The Minorities at Risk database, which contains information on intervention in all ethnic conflicts between 1990 and 1995, is used to answer these questions. The findings show that Middle Eastern and Islamic minorities do, in fact, attract more international intervention than other minorities. This is due to a larger pattern where states, especially Islamic ones, rarely intervene on behalf of ethnic minorities with which they share no religious affinities. The results also show that ethnoreligious minorities are more likely to attract political intervention than other ethnic minorities. These results confirm the importance of religious affinities in spite of a general disposition in the field of international relations to minimize their effects.

Résumé. Cette étude répond à des questions d'importance théorique et pratique. Est-ce que les minorités ethnoreligieuses attirent plus d'interventions internationales que les autres types de minorités? Est-ce que les minorités ethniques islamiques et du Moyen-Orient attirent plus d'interventions internationales que les minorités ethniques d'ailleurs et si oui, pour quelle raison? La banque de données du programme Minorities at Risk, qui répertorie les interventions dans tous les conflits ethniques survenus entre 1990 et 1995, est outillée pour répondre à ces questions. Les résultats de recherche démontrent que les minorités ethniques islamiques et du Moyen-Orient attirent, en effet, plus d'interventions internationales que les autres minorités. Cela s'explique par le fait que les États, et plus particulièrement les États islamiques, interviennent rarement en faveur des minorités avec lesquelles ils ne partagent aucune affinité religieuse. Les résultats démontrent également que les minorités ethnoreligieuses ont tendance à attirer plus d'interventions étrangères à caractère politique que les autres types de minorités. Les conclusions de recherche confirment donc l'importance que revêt l'affinité religieuse pour les interventions internationales dans les conflits ethniques, à l'encontre de l'opinion générale des experts en relations internationales, qui tendent à minimiser son rôle.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 161 - 186
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2009

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