Conflict Resolution Theories in Practice: cases of Bosnia and Lebanon Examined

The two internal conflicts that have attracted a great deal of attention in the latter half of the twentieth century are the 1975-1990 Lebanese war, and the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This work sets out to investigate the veracity of the popular myth that these two conflicts could be fully explained through reference to their ethnic dimension only. If one is to look deeper into any internal conflict however, they will soon discover that the issues at stake are incomparably more complex. While history and tradition can, and often do, contribute to upset the delicate inter-communal balance in a multiethnic society, the various developments immediately preceding the outbreak of crisis are what matters the most.