Nationalist conflict is widespread and often highly violent. Because of its association with secessionist objectives, it triggers fierce responses from central governments. States place the inviolability of their borders at the core of their foundation and are rarely open to negotiating compromises that threaten the status quo.

Democracy regulates conflict through institutional channels and, in theory, can best address deep divisions. Democratic politics allow a plurality of viewpoints to be expressed, a wide range of interests to be represented, policies on a broad set of issues to be debated, and resources deployed to meet demands and needs of a large number of groups and a broad segment of the population. As Schmitter and Karl state: “Modern democracy, in other words, offers a variety of competitive processes and channels for the expression of interests and values – associational as well as partisan, functional as well as territorial, collective as well as individual. All are integral to its practice.”