Politics of Ethnicity and Nationalism: The Development of Ethnic Conflict (Essay Sample)

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Politics of Ethnicity and Nationalism
This paper examines the democratization process, and how it relates to the development of ethnic conflicts. The process of democratization revolves around the politics of ethnicity and nationalism. This implies that in order for political analysts or human rights activists to spread and consolidate democracy, they need to reconsider potential benefits and risks of nationalism. In the democratization process, the risk is that the opportunities offered by federal arrangements facilitate the ethnic nationalists to assemble their resources.
In result, ethnic conflicts might develop prior to countrywide democratic elections. Analyzing the process of democratization, it is evident that societies that are ethnically diverse exhibit unique dilemmas. Scholars argue that states which face significant ethnic conflicts encounter obstacles to achieve competitive politics. However, there are factors that examine and overcome such obstacles and imply successful democracy in societies that are ethnically divided. Electoral politics contribute to the issues that connect democracy with ethnic diversity (Bhattacharya 81). For instance, ethnic conflicts undermine democracy when there is polarization and exclusion of the electoral politics. This means that if ethnic divisions translate to ethnically related parties, politics will polarize by revealing ascriptive identities. This makes it difficult for the democratization process to develop, especially in aspects concerning decision making. This is because it renders the maintenance of elections that are competitive, which subjects majority to be threatened and minority to be excluded. Conversely, elections that are competitive spur mobilization in societies that are ethnically divided. Scholars claim that the introduction of elections which are competitive in weak democratic states increases the development of ethnic conflicts. This happens when the democratic institutions amplify the opportunities, and incentives embark to nationalistic appeals.
Studies provide examples, such as some states in the Eastern Europe, to reflect on how the democratization process interacts with ethnic politics. It is evident that ethnic minorities who stay in the region are geographically concentrated, which leads to ethnic mobilization at national and regional levels. The subsequent breakdown and repeated establishment of multinational empires are part of the democratization process in the region that has led to ethnic politics. Democratization procedure is reflected in ethnic politics via minority representation. This is because the international forces and political ethnic factors perceive ethnic diversity as an indicator of inclusiveness in ethnic regime. Through democracy, minority parties get a chance to win a few seats where their ethnic group is highly concentrated. Democratization process interacts with ethnic politics when it allows small parties to participate in decision making and present the interest of minority.
Furthermore, democratization connects with ethnic politics through parties. For instance, ethnic parties and representation of legislative minorities identifies electoral politics, and ethnicity via ethnic relations. The interaction is clear when ethnic diversity exhibits broader effects in the party system. Scholars use ethnic diversity as a substitute to show social heterogeneity. In result, there is a positive relationship between the party system and the ethnic groups. In addition, democracy promotes ethnic diversity among the parties by producing electoral constituencies, which are discrete to support various political parties. Democratization interacts with ethnic politics through post-communist states (Diamond 104).
This interaction plays a significant role in decision making and improving political attitudes in different ethnic groups. It incorporates a wide range of post communist countries such as Bulgaria, Ukraine, and counties of Baltic region. In post communist elections, ethnic parties use common phenomena in some of the ethnically diverse countries to facilitate the democratization process. The connection is also evident when ethnic minorities influence post communist parties in different ways. Researchers argue that ethnic minorities play a significant role in reducing electoral volatility in politics. Democracy interrelates with ethnic politics when ethnic voters present their stable preferences.
In addition, there are factors that facilitate interaction of democratic procedures and ethnic politics. Demographic factors contribute to a dominant function in that they determine the translation of ethnic identity into electoral outcomes and preferences. Demographic factors contribute to resource mobilization and promote democratic elections by coordinating and mobilizing actions that involve a large group of people. In a democratic process, ethnicity serves as a common identity that prompts behaviors and preferences, which also penalizes others. In this regard, the three aspects that form ethnic composition include geographic concentration, minority population, and its relative diversity. In a democratic process, the size of the ethnic group also contributes to a large voting number. In this case, countries with large minority populations reflect ethnic parties with greater viability.
However, researchers argue that the relative diversity in a minority population tends to affect the mobilization potential. For instance, this affects states such as Russia, with a relatively large minority population. Institutional factors also reveal how the democratization process connects with ethnic politics. This can also affect the relationship of electoral politics and ethnicity. It applies in states such as Estonia, where the laws of citizenship determine individuals to vote and eliminate minorities from the voting process. The absence and presence of institutional provisions to represent minority influences representations of minority in the legislature and affects ethnic groups in mobilizing elections. Democratization interacts with ethnic politics, which is evident in ethnic relations. The ethnic relations operate in a way that enables the ethnic minority to mobilize in elections.
Democratization process interacts with ethnic politics when it creates ethnic relations. This allows the minority party to safeguard their rights with the assistance of a new democracy. Politics and elite interaction also facilitates the democratic process and ethnic politics. Scholars argue that the trajectory that is evident in ethnic politics is due to decisions passed by elites at crucial times. For instance, in countries such as Russia, the ethnic elites surrender votes from the region. This happens in the presidential elections when there is a battle for power between the regions and the center.
Concerning politics of ethnicity and nationalism, there are ways in which the democratic political institution exacerbates or mitigates the differences between ethnic groups in a political arena. The democratic political institution intensifies differences in ethnic groups, which leads to their separation. According to the experts, the issue of division in ethnic groups affects states that are not democratic. This means that there is a need to establish a democratic government to resolve the differences that affect the ethnic groups. Furthermore, power sharing in such ethnic groups facilitates decision making in politics, especially in education and cultural areas. The democratic political institutions can mitigate political differences in ethnic groups when they implement policies that revolve around power sharing and autonomy.
A good example that applies in this case reflects the governing council of Iraq, which receives critics on political grounds. The concept of power sharing democracy also affects other divided societies, such as India and Canada. Democratic institutions might worsen differences in ethnic groups when they undermine democracy in electoral politics. This means that such issues may threaten the majority and exclude the minority from participa...