Ethnic conflicts have shaped the 20th century in significant ways. While the legacy of the last century is primarily one of many unresolved conflicts, the author contends that Western Europe has a track record in containing and settling ethnic conflicts which provides valuable lessons for conflict management elsewhere. The author identifies the factors at work in disputes over borders from Northern Ireland to Alsace, South Tyrol and elsewhere, demonstrating that they can also provide the seeds for their resolution. This new series focuses on the growing importance of international and external influences on ethnopolitical issues, such as international diplomatic or military intervention, as well as the increasing effects of the study of globalisation on ethnic identities and their political expressions.