Conflicts over Political Institutions

Disagreement over political institutions can also become a basis for an ethnic rivalries. The roots of these conflicts can be found not only in ideological doctrines. Confronted political parties, governmental fractions and institutions also serve for their basis. As a result of their analyzes, it was proved that each post-Soviet state has border dispute with it’s neighbour (Armenia vs. Azerbaidjan, Moldova vs. Ukraine, Russia vs. Kazakhstan, Russia vs. Estonia)[1].
Inter-ethnic tensions on the basis of political institutions generally coincides with the period a political transition, when power is transmitted from one group to another. This phenomenon has different explanations: 1. when transition is accompanied by the transformation of political institutions (for example, communism is changed by capitalism) an ethno nationalism and ethnic tensions are used by political elites in order to distance from an old regimes. 2. during transition there are no political institutions managing ethnic conflicts, thus conflict can not be developed in a peaceful way and it takes form of violence. According to another explanation, as the institutions and ideologies, once used for mobilization of masses, ceased their existence during transition period, they are replaced with another powerful tool – ethnicity[2].
[1]Rupesinghe K. Tishkov V. Ethnicity and Power in the Contemporary World
[2]Baird A. An Atmosphere of Reconciliation: A Theory of Resolving Ethnic Conflicts Based on the Transcaucasian Conflicts. The Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution. Issue 2.4 November 1999. ISSN 1522-211X.