Nationalism and National Conflicts as Contemporary Security Threat

Abstract

The issues of nationalism, ethnic affiliation and identity and inter-ethnic conflicts at the turn of two epochs continue to represent an inexhaustible sociological and politicological and security topic. By their complex nature these issues appear as the topic of many discussions and interpretations, but unfortunately these discussions are often of ideological content. This is confirmed by the interpretations at the end of 20th century that the Balkan part of Europe has become a territory of the failure of law and order, the territory where new states and alliances have originated, the territory of national and religious extremism, ethnic conflicts and »ethnic cleansing«, as well as the territory of the UN incapability to solve the bloody local conflicts. This paper attempts to offer the analysis from the security point of view as well as an objective image of theoretical, ideological and doctrinary origins, bearers and consequences of modern nationalism and inter-ethnic conflicts, in order to be able to predict and perhaps prevent some future Balkan paradigms of ethnic animosities and crimes.