Identity-based civil wars resist decisive resolution and breed genocide

Evidence

Wars between clans, tribes, ethnic groups, religious communities, and nations have been prevalent in every era and in every civilization because they are rooted in the identities of people. These conflicts tend to be particularistic, in that they do not involve broader ideological or political issues of direct interest to nonparticipants, although they may arouse humanitarian concerns in outside groups. They also tend to be vicious and bloody, since fundamental issues of identity are at stake. In addition, they tend to be lengthy; they may be interrupted by truces or agreements but these tend to break down and the conflict is resumed. Decisive military victory by one side in an identity civil war, on the other hand, increases the likelihood of genocide. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 697 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

It is human to hate. For self-definition and motivation people need enemies: competitors in business, rivals in achievement, opponents in politics. They naturally distrust and see as threats those who are different and have the capability to harm them. The resolution of one conflict and the disappearance of one enemy generate personal, social, and political forces that give rise to new ones. “The ‘us’ versus ‘them’ tendency is,” as Ali Mazrui said, “in the political arena, almost universal.” In the contemporary world the “them” is more and more likely to be people from a different civilization. The end of the Cold War has not ended conflict but has rather given rise to new identities rooted in culture and to new patterns of conflict among groups from different cultures which at the broadest level are civilizations. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 353 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Identity wars are vicious, lengthy, and prone to genocide after decisive victory — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 697; Resolving one conflict merely produces a fresh enemy to define oneself against — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 353

Broader Connections

• Identity wars are vicious, lengthy, and prone to genocide after decisive victory #corroborates (0.95) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 697
• Resolving one conflict merely produces a fresh enemy to define oneself against #complicates (0.74) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 353