Ethnic Conflicts in Kosovo and Afghanistan: Why

Ethnic Conflicts in Kosovo and Afghanistan: Why a "One-Size-Fits-All" Analytical Approach Will Not Work

Today, Kosovo is recovering from decades of ethnic violence, and the same came be said of Afghanistan to some extent as well as the American military presence continues to draw down. Although both countries have experienced their fair share of such ethnic-based violence over the years, there is no "one-size-fits-all" analytical approach to examining the multifaceted problems that are being experienced by these countries because of the fundamental differences that exist between them and these issues are discussed further below.

As can be seen from the breakdown of Kosovo and Afghanistan language, population and ethnic groups, Kosovo is populated mostly by Serbians (92%) with two official languages (Albanian and Serbian) and one main religion (Islam) while Afghanistan is comprised of several primary ethnic groups and dozens of others, all with their own languages. Furthermore, the populations of the two countries are dramatically different, with Kosovo representing just 6% of the total population of Afghanistan.

Table 1

Ethnic Groups, Religions and Languages in Kosovo and Afghanistan

Country

Ethnic Groups

Religions

Languages

Population

Kosovo

Albanians 92%, other (Serb, Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk, Ashkali, Egyptian) 8% (2008)

Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic

Albanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish, Roma

1,825,632

Afghanistan

Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%

Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%

Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

29,835,392

Source: CIA world factbook, 2012

When the United States military leaves Afghanistan in a few months, it is reasonable to suggest that the Taliban will try to gain additional influence in the region. It is also reasonable to suggest that the Taliban will only enjoy modest success in their efforts because of the enormous diversity that exists among the polyglotinous people of Afghanistan where intertribal warfare that has raged for millennia only ceases long enough to expel foreign invaders (Jalali, 2010). By sharp contrast, Kosovo is a highly homogeneous country that is dominated by the Serbian majority where order has been restored to some extent followed years of bloody violence (Archer, 2003). These significant differences indicate that the level of analysis that is required to understand these problems will differ dramatically between Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Conclusion