An Argument for Dictators Keeping a Lid on Ethnic Conflict

After the fragmentation of Yugoslavia in 1991 the world witnessed atrocities amongst the ethnic groups that harkened to the Nazi genocide. This fragmentation in Yugoslavia was a direct result of Josip Tito's death and end of power in 1980. Once again the world is witnessing a new round of ethnic violence now occurring in Iraq after the removal of Saddam Hussein. In both occurrences the United States has spent many lives and resources to provide stability in the hope of forming democratic governments in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq. In Iraq, it was the United States who implemented regime change. Both Yugoslavia and Iraq exhibited a history of ethnic tensions. Only through dictatorships did the people have stability and were able to work together in order to meet their basic needs. Along with these dictatorships came violence and fear, but one could argue the people suffered greater violence in the ethnic wars that ensued after the end of the dictators' reign. Not all the tools used by Tito and Hussein to control their multi-ethnic populations were violent. Some of these tools could be implemented to alleviate ethnic violence or planned into follow-on governments if and when the U.S. chooses to implement regime change in other countries.