Using original research by a number of highly regarded specialists, this book brings together comparative materials and distinct disciplinary approaches on the origins and dynamics of ethnic conflicts, ethnic policies of nation states, and different attempts to contain, transform and resolve ethnic conflicts. It is one of the results of a research project on ethnic conflicts and development undertaken by the United Nations Research Institute on Social Development. Includes material on Asia and the Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, the former socialist countries, the United States, and Latin America.