Public Law Studies Quarterly

The Role of Preventive Diplomacy in Ethnic Conflicts from the Perspective of International Law

Document Type : Article

Authors

Mostafa Fazaeli 1
Mousa Karami 2

1 Prof., Department of International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Ph. D. in Public International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2024.372199.3479
Abstract
The capacity of international law to prevent ethnic conflicts is one of the key benchmarks of its effectiveness. This article examines how preventive diplomacy, as one of the instruments of international law, can be identified and applied to this end. Using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on library-based sources, the authors seek to explain the role of preventive diplomacy in the prevention of ethnic conflicts. According to the findings, identifying situations prone to ethnic conflict and issuing early warnings to take appropriate measures are of critical importance. Moreover, preventive diplomacy can operate at two levels: short-term (operational) and long-term (structural), both of which contribute to the effective and positive role of international law in this area. Operational preventive diplomacy aims to prevent ethnic tensions or crises from escalating into armed conflict. Examples include the deployment of diplomatic missions, the preventive stationing of United Nations peacekeeping forces, and mediation by prominent international figures. In contrast, structural preventive diplomacy targets the root causes of conflicts and seeks to reduce the likelihood of ethnic disputes through processes such as promoting and consolidating democracy, strengthening civil society, and monitoring violations of human rights and minority rights.

Keywords

ethnic conflict
international law
international peace and security
preventive diplomacy
United Nations
Subjects

  1. English

    1. A) Books
    2. Byman, D. (2002). Keeping the Peace: Lasting Solutions to Ethnic Conflicts. Baltimore, Maryland: John Hopkins University Press.
    3. Elies, S., Iglesias, S., & Hwee, Y. L. (eds.) (2011). Early Warning Systems in Minority Conflicts: A Framework for Developing Regional Responses. Singapore: Asia-Europe Foundation.
    4. Jesse, N. G., & Williams, K. P. (2011). Ethnic Conflict: A Systemic Approach to Cases of Conflict. Washington: CQ Press.
    5. Ramcharan, B. G. (2008). Preventive Diplomacy at the UN. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
    6. Shahabuddin, M. (2016). Ethnicity and International Law: Histories, Politics and Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

     

    1. B) Article
    2. Agarin, T. (2020). The Limits of Inclusion: Representation of Minority and Non-Dominant Communities in Consociational and Liberal Democracy. International Political Science Review, 41(1), 15-29.
    3. Aguilar, Sergio Luiz Cruz (2019). Ethnic Conflicts and Peace-Building. In: Steven Ratuva (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity, Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 613-631.
    4. Bohm, A., & Brown, G. W. (2021). R2P and Prevention: The International Community and Its Role in the Determinants of Mass Atrocity. Global Responsibility to Protect, 13(1), 60-95.
    5. Beardsley, K., Cunningham, D. E., & White, P. B. (2017). Resolving Civil Wars before They Start: The UN Security Council and Conflict Prevention in Self-Determination Disputes. British Journal of Political Science, 47(3), 675-697.
    6. Chi, S.W., & Noll, H. (2021). Democratic Peace: Does Ethnic Inclusiveness Reduce Interstate Conflict?. International Political Science Review, 42(2),179-196.
    7. Chila, Irini (2012). Ethnic Conflict and ‘Democratic Peace’: 20 Years Later. In: Nikolaos Tzifakis (ed.), International Politics in Times of Change, Berlin: Springer, 243-262.
    8. Gilley, B. (2004). Against the Concept of Ethnic Conflict. Third World Quarterly, 25(6), 1155-1166.
    9. Hartoyo, H., Sindung, H., Teuko, F., & Sunarto, S. (2020). The Role of Local Communities in Peacebuilding in Post-Ethnic Conflict in a Multi-Cultural Society. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 12(1), 33-44.
    10. Isakova, A. (2023). Early Warnin Models in the OSCE: Adoption and Re-invention. In: Anja Mihr and Chiara Pierobon, Polarization, Shifting Borders and Liquid Governance, Cham: Springer.
    11. Jemirade, D. (2020). Humanitarian Intervention (HI) and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P): The United Nations and International Security. African Security Review, 30(1), 48-65.
    12. Muggah, Robert and Whitlock, Mark (2022). Reflections on the Evolution of Conflict Early Warning. Stability: International Journal on Security and Development, 10(1), 1-16.
    13. Niyitunga, E. B. (2016). Assessing the Missing Link Within the Concept of Preventive Diplomacy with Reference to African Conflicts. Journal of Contemporary History, 41(2), 229-250.
    14. Selimi, B, (2019). Minority Veto Rights in Kosovo’s Democracy. The Age of Human Rights Journal, 6(12), 148–157.
    15. Stamatopoulou, E. (3 November 2011). Monitoring of Cultural Human Rights: The Claims of Culture on Human Rights and the Responses of Cultural Human Rights. Paper presented in Human Rights Seminar, The Center for International Human Rights, John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
    16. Tardy, T. (2015). United Nations Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP-Macedonia). In: Joachim A. Koops, Norrie Macqueen, Thierry Tardy & Paul D. Williams (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 500-510.
    17. Williams, A. (2015). The Possibilities for Preventive Deployment: The Case of Macedonia. In: Serena K. Sharma and Jennifer M. Welsh, The Responsibility to Prevent: Overcoming the Challenges of Atrocity Prevention, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 229-249.
    18. Yan, S., & Guo, Y. (2020). Origin and Development of Preventive Diplomacy. In: Yanjun Guo and Fujian Li, Preventive Diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company, 1-39.
    19. Zyck, Steven A. and Muggah, Robert (2012). Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Prevention: Obstacles and Opportunities. Stability: International Journal on Security and Development, 1(1), 68-75.

     

    1. C) Dissertation, Resolution and Reports
    2. Cherkezia, N. (2018). The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Ethnic Conflict Resolution in Georgia: Challenges and Opportunities. MA Dissertation in Social Sciences, Tartu: University of Tartu.
    3. Gowan, R. (2011). Multilateral Political Missions and Preventive Diplomacy. United States Institute of Peace Special Report.
    4. Human Rights Council (5 April 2023). Mandate of Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues. A/HRC/RES/52/5.
    5. Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues (22 July 2022). Report of the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Frernand De Varennes: Protection of the Rights of Minorities in the Institutions, Structures and Initiatives of the United Nations. A/77/246.
    6. Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues (16 August 2023). Report of the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Frernand De Varennes. A/78/195.

     

     

     References In Persian:

    1. A) Books
    2. Ahmadi, H. (2021). Ethnicity and Ethnocentrism in Iran: Fiction and Reality. 17th edition, Tehran: Nashr-e-Ney (In Persian).
    3. Amin, S. H. (2003). The History of Law of Iran. Tehran: The Encyclopedia Iranica (In Persian).
    4. Azizi, S. (2015). Protection of Minorities in International Law. 2nd edition, Tehran: Shahr-e-Danesh (In Persian).
    5. Azizi, S. (2021). Creation and Succession of States. Hemdan: Bu-Ali Sina University (In Persian).
    6. Fazaeli, M., & Karami, M. (2016). Protecting Cultural Rights of Ethnic Minorities in International Law: With A View to Kurdish People in Turkey. Tehran: Shahr-e-Danesh (In Persian).
    7. Ghavam, S. A. A., & Mohseni, S. (2018). Dialogue between International Relations and International Law at the Beginning of the Third Millennium. Theran: Mokhatab (In Persian).
    8. Lobell, S. E. and Mauceri, Ph. (2015). Ethnic Conflict and International Politics: Explaining Diffusion and Escalation. Translated into Persian: Zahra Pishgahifard and Afshin Karami, Tehran: Geographical Organization of Armed Forces (In Persian).
    9. Marabbasi, S. B., & Sadat Meydani, S. H. (2016). International Proceedings: ICJ in Theory and Practice. 6th edition, Tehran: Jangal Publication (In Persian).
    10. Mirzaie, S. A. (2022). Nationalism and Ethnicity in Iran. 3rd edition, Tehran: Agah (In Persian).
    11. Nikfar, M. (2010). Violence, Human Rights, and Civil Society. 2nd edition, Tehran: Tarh-e-Nou (In Persian).
    12. Pirnia, H., MehrAyin, K., & Eghbal Ashtiyani, A. (2016). The Comprehensive History of Iran. 4th edition, Tehran: Vasheqan (In Persian).
    13. Salehi Amiri, S. R. (2012). Management of Ethnic Conflicts in Iran. 3rd edition, Tehran: Center for Strategic Research (In Persian).
    14. Soroush, A. (2000). Methods of Governance and Faithfulness. Tehran: Seraat Cultural Institution (In Persian).
    15. Tale’, H. (2006). The History of Iran’s Dissolution (Vol 1: The Unfulfilled Efforts to Secession of Azerbaijan). Langroud: Samarghand (In Persian).
    16. Tale’, H. (2009). The History of Iran’s Dissolution (Vol. 5: Secession of Eastern Territories). Langroud: Samarghand (In Persian).
    17. Tomuchat, Ch. (2007). Human Rights. Translated into Persian: Hossein Sharifi Tarazkouhi, Tehran: Mizan (In Persian).
    18. Zamani, S. Gh.; Askary, P. and Vakil, A. (2007). The Regional Institutions and Mechanisms for Protection of Human Rights. Tehran: Shahr-e-Danesh (In Persian).

     

    1. B) Articles
    2. Ahmadiyan, Gh. and Heydari, N. (2014). UN Challenges in Democratization of Ethnoreligious Societies (Case Studies of Post-Cold War in Africa). International Organizations, 1(4), 89-140 (In Persian).
    3. Ashrafi, D. (2014). The New Interpretation of International Peace and Security and Its Impact on the Notion of National Sovereignty. Public Law Research, 15(42), 83-109 (In Persian).
    4. Azizi, S. (2014). Peace, Justice and Democracy in Multiethnic (Plural) Societies: Consociational Democracy Emphasizing the Comparative Comparison of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq. Human Rights, 9(1&2), 23-48 (In Persian).
    5. Azizi, S. and Karami, M. (2022). The Applicability of Remedial Secession Theory in the Recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. International Law Review, 39(68), 142-172 (In Persian).
    6. Azizi, S., & Karami, M. (2023). Evaluating the Practice of the UN in the Settlement of Identity-Based Territorial Conflicts: With A View to Cases of Cyprus, Karabagh and Kosovo. Public Law Studies Quarterly, 53(4), 1695-1719 (In Persian).
    7. Karamzadeh, S.; Alizadeh, M. and Zarneshan, Sh. (2022). Catalan Separatism from the Viewpoint of the Right of Self-Determination in International Law. Public Law Studies Quarterly, 52(2), 943-963 (In Persian).
    8. Kardoony, N. and Nikpey, A. (2016). Multiculturalism, the State and Rights of Minorities. Law Research, 19(75), 65-93 (In Persian).
    9. Kardoony, N.; Ziaie Bigdeli, M. R.; Nikpey, A. and Zamani, S. Gh. (2018). The New War and the Conflicts of Multicultural Societies in International Law. Political and International Researches, 9(35), 303-326 (In Persian).
    10. Mirkoushesh, A. H., & Rezaie, R. (2022). UN Preventive Diplomacy and International Peace After the Cold War. International Organizations, 5(1), 133-158 (In Persian).
    11. Mohammadi, K., Nazhandimanesh, H., & Shamlou, S. (2023). The Role of Prevention in R2P Doctrine Emphasizing the Primary Responsibility of States. New Achievements in Public Law, 2(8), 1-19 (In Persian).
    12. Mosaffa, N., & Shams Lahijani, A. (2013). Central Asia and employing Preventive Diplomacy: The United Nations Regional Centre. Central Eurasia Studies, 6(2), 101-120 (In Persian).
    13. Sajjadpor, S. M. K., & Aghamohammadi, Z. (2015). Security Council, The Great Powers and UN Peace-keeping Operations: Conceptual Frameworks and Operational Functions. Security Horizons, 8(28), 161-188 (In Persian).

     

    1. C) Dissertations and Theses
    2. Ahmadi Dermni, M. (2014). A Comparative Study of the US Foreign Policy towards the Iranian Ethnic Groups (Emphasizing the Kurds, Baluch, Azeri and Arab Ethnic Groups). MA Thesis in Political Science, Supervised by: Mojtaba Maghsoudi, Tehran: Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch (In Persian).
    3. Heydari, N. (2013). Democratic Governance and Ethnoreligious Conflicts (Case Study: Africa after the Cold War). MA Thesis in Political Science, Supervised by: Ghodrat Ahmadiyan, Kermanshah: Razi University, Faculty of Social Science (In Persian).
    4. Khademiyan, A. (2012). Democratic Peace and Security Challenges to the Middle East. MA Thesis in Political Science, Supervised by: Ghodrat Ahmadiyan, Kermanshah: Razi University, Faculty of Social Science (In Persian).
    5. Khalandi, Shilan-Abadi, D. (2019). Examining the International Aspects of Ethnic Conflicts in the Middle East: Emphasizing the Kurds. MA Thesis in International Relations, Supervised by: Hadi Ajili, Tehran: Allameh Tabatabaie University (In Persian).
    6. Rastgou, M. Z. (2018). The Impact of Ethnoreligious Conflicts in Iraq on the National Security of Islamic Republic of Iran. Ph. D. Dissertation in International Relations, Supervised by: Ali Akbar AsadI, Tehran: Tarbiat Modarres University (In Persian).
Public Law Studies Quarterly
Volume 55, Issue 4 - Serial Number 44
Winter 2026
Winter 2026
Pages 2883-2908

  • Receive Date 05 February 2024
  • Revise Date 07 May 2024
  • Accept Date 15 September 2024

Home

Journal Process Ethics

Peer Review Process

Submission

Indexing and Abstracting

Contact Us