Diasporas and secessionist conflicts: the mobilization of the Armenian, Albanian and Chechen diasporas

This article examines the impact of diasporas on secessionist conflicts, focusing on the Albanian, Armenian and Chechen diasporas and the conflicts in Kosovo, Karabakh and Chechnya during the 1990s. How do diasporas radicalize these conflicts? I argue that despite differences in diaspora communal ch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethnic and racial studies 2011-02, Vol.34 (2), p.333-356
Main Author: Koinova, Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Albanians
Armenia
Armenians
Balkans
Caucasus
Chechen
Chechnya
Coalitions
Conflict
Conflicts
Diaspora
Elites
Human rights
Impact analysis
Independence
International relations
Kosovo
Mobilization
Nagorno Karabakh
Organizational Power
Political sociology
Radicalism
radicalization
Refugees
Secession
secessionism
Sociology
Southeast Europe
Transcaucasia
Transnationalism
Violations
Wars
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Summary:This article examines the impact of diasporas on secessionist conflicts, focusing on the Albanian, Armenian and Chechen diasporas and the conflicts in Kosovo, Karabakh and Chechnya during the 1990s. How do diasporas radicalize these conflicts? I argue that despite differences in diaspora communal characteristics and the types of the secessionist conflicts, a common pattern of mobilization develops. Large-scale diasporic support for secessionism emerges only after independence is proclaimed by the local elites. From that point onwards diasporas become engaged in a conflict spiral, and transnational coalitions are formed between local secessionist and diaspora groups. Depending on the organizational strength of the local strategic centre and the diasporic institutions, these coalitions endure or dissipate. Diasporas exert radicalization influences on the conflict spiral on two specific junctures - when grave violations of human rights occur in the homeland and when local moderate elites start losing credibility that they can achieve the secessionist goal.
ISSN:0141-9870
1466-4356
DOI:10.1080/01419870.2010.489646