Description
What role does agent collaboration between national elites, local elites, and the civilian population play during episodes of ethnic cleansing? How does the tripartite collaboration between these agents impact the operationalisation of ethnic cleansing? The literature on ethnic cleansing has undergone several advancements since its inception, particularly in our understanding of strategic and pre-war socio-political factors and how these impact the onset of ethnic cleansing. The goal of our research is to provide a theoretical framework for better understanding the internal dynamics of ethnic cleansing. We posit that analysing the role of agent collaboration between national elites, local elites, and civilians is essential for understanding how and why ethnic cleansing unfolds the way it does. Each agent has a unique function for the realisation of the ethnic cleansing policy. Ethnic cleansing should not be interpreted as a purely top-down process but one wherein a tripartite of collaborators is fundamental for operationalising and driving the violent cleansing process. To illustrate our theory, we analyse the typical cases of the Kosovo War (1998-1999) and the ongoing conflict in the Rakhine State, Myanmar. Drawing upon detailed primary and secondary data, our examination of these cases illustrates the necessity of agent collaboration during ethnic cleansing and the importance of analysing ethnic cleansing from different methodological perspectives.
