Bass 2006

Reading: Bass (2006), “What Really Causes Civil War? Why multiethnic societies may not be more prone to strife”

• Main Argument: The presence of civil war or civil strife can not simply be attributed to ethnic diversity and sectarian divisions rather, these features must be contextualized and grounded within the political landscape.

Fearon & Laitin

• Study of 127 civil wars from 1945-1999
• The likelihood of civil war decreases as countries get richer, irrespective of ethnic demography
• The more homogenous a society is, the more likely they are to experience civil conflict
  • Why?
    • ethnic and political grudges exist, but require specific conditions to mobilize
    • conditions include but are not exclusive to: foreign support, popular support from rural populations, etc.

• Argument: Civil war and Civil conflict do not arise spontaneously, they are products of varying pressures including bad governance and socioeconomic strife