Europe's latest war is in full swing. On the break-up of the Soviet Union South Ossetia was included in the territory of the newly independent Georgia. The South Ossetians do not want to be part of Georgia. For reasons of their own the Russians are backing the South Ossetians.

How tragically European.

An early experiment in multi-culturalism, the Dual Monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ended after World War 1.

After World War 2 millions (literally) of German civilians were expelled from parts of Eastern Europe.

By about 1946 ethnic and national boundaries in Europe coincided to an amazing degree. There were exceptions but, by and large, most of the inhabitants of France were ethnically French. Ditto for Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands, etc. Arguably the most multi-cultural country in Europe was the UK which included Scots, Welsh and some Irish within its borders.

Since then most clashes in Europe have involved ethnic regions trying to break away from the centre. One thinks of the Basques in Spain or the Catholics in Ulster.

The Serbian Empire – once known as Yugoslavia – split along ethnic lines with considerable bloodshed. Then the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo split from Serbia.

The Czechs and the Slovaks found they could not live in the same country but were mature enough to seek an amicable divorce.

Cyprus split along into Greek and Turkish areas.

Outside Europe different groups have found it equally hard to get along. The largest scale ethnic cleansing the world has ever seen probably occurred in 1947-8 when Muslims fled to nascent Pakistan and Hindus fled in the opposite direction.

Current ethnic hotspots include Sudan (Arab Muslims vs African Muslims vs Christians), Kenya, China-Tibet, China- Uighurs, Javanese vs West Papuans in the Javanese Empire aka Indonesia, Pakistan vs Pashtun-Taliban in North-West-Frontier-Province, Sunni vs Shia factions in Iraq.

Can people of different ethnicities and cultures ever live together in peace? In Australia, lately, we have.

Will this peaceable state of affairs continue?

stevenlmeyer
"Will this peaceable state of affairs continue?"
Are you joking? Of cause we will peacefully Of cause we will continue peacefully, except if
1. Some right extremists, become strong enough and start an aggressive violation from our (non Anglo Saxon) rights. This probability is extremely low but it could happened. and
2. If a minority is used from an other (stronger from Australia) Country with purpose to create problems and give the opportunity to the other country to intervene in our internal affairs. In this case we will have problems and even ethnic cleansing. This could happened if
(a) China become very strong, needs desperately our minerals and our friends are weak or they have other priorities than to support us or
(b) If Indonesia become very strong and use the Muslims to intervene in our internal affairs.
The scenario with Indonesian’s intervention is extremely-extreme low BUT

THE SCENARIO WITH CHINA COULD HAPPEN NOT ONLY BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY CHINESE HERE WITH HIGH FERTILITY AND CLOSE TIES WITH CHINA, NOT ONLY BECAUSE CHINA IS BECOMING SUPER POWER AND IT WILL NEED OUR MINERALS, BUT EVEN WORST BECAUSE MANY CORPORATIONS, MANY BUSINESS HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTMENT IN CHINA OR DEPEND IN HIGH DEGREE FROM CHINA OR THEY COULD WANT TO BLOCK OTHER COUNTRIE'S AND GIVE SPECIAL ADVANDAGES TO CHINESE PRODUCTS, ETC.
Any future conflict could come MAINLY from this group.
I can not see any problem for the next 50-60 years but if we do not create strong relations with China’s competitor/s (I prefer Australia as full member from European Union ) then I do not know how we could avoid China’s intervention in Australia.. We can not expect any support from EU or USA if we ignore their strategic interests. The story that we want good relations with every country and we only promote our own (CURRENT) interests is very dangerous for our future.

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaid

Stevenlmeyer “In Australia, lately, we have.. ..”

Australia is a nation of immigrants.

People motivated by a desire for change from their ethnic past, migrate to places like Australia.

The ones who are entrenched in the past stay put, in their historic homes.

One of the things I found really refreshing about Aus was the absence of the Irish / Anglo conflict, which as someone nominally “English” and (at the time) married to the daughter of a Catholic Dubliner, was used to the threats of bombing by IRA in London.

I would suggest the difference between Europe and Australia is that those who came did so to partly escape the prejudices of their home land and we are all the beneficiaries of that motive.

This seems to have worked for most with the possible exception of the Serbs, who, for some reason, still cling, in desperation, to the grime and values of that bit of Eastern European Dirt.

America was said to be the product of philosophy, Europe the product of history.

Australia (and possibly Canada) might just be the product of a more enlightened colonial policy (relative to George III who lost the other ‘Americas’), British institutions and work ethic.

The tragedy being played out in Georgia is all about power-play between the US and Russia.I see the conniving US policy of hemming in the Russians and causing trouble,possibly the start of another Cold War which in Southern Ossetia is anything but cold!

The Americans have been trying to ring Russia with planting nuclear rockets in Poland and Czechoslovakia and are trying to buy other European powers to allow their territories to accept these weapons all of whom are pointing into the heartland of Russia.
To counter the American thrust in the most sensitive of such areas the Russians have long been stirring up the Ossetians to break away from Georgia. The Ossetians are fed up with Georgias's corrupt government and neglect of Abkarzia and ossetia and want their independence. If they ask to be absorbed into Russia things will turn really very nasty.The Americans will endorse the move on the grounds of the right to self-determination and get some support of the principle in the UN.The Russians will veto any hostile UN moves and we are going to have another crisis like the Cuban missile crisis. That time it was the russians who backed down to keep the peace.
Will America reciprocate? We are headed for a stand-off.How does Obama and McCain view the on-going crisis and what will they do?
socratease

I'm not entirely sure what you are expecting to be clarified in this thread, stevenlmeyer. Especially as you seem to be a little confused yourself.

For example, I am not sure how to reconcile these two statements of yours:

>>By about 1946 ethnic and national boundaries in Europe coincided to an amazing degree<<

and

>>Since then most clashes in Europe have involved ethnic regions trying to break away from the centre. One thinks of the Basques in Spain or the Catholics in Ulster... The Serbian Empire – once known as Yugoslavia – split along ethnic lines... Albanians in Kosovo split from Serbia... Czechs and the Slovaks found they could not live in the same country... Cyprus split along into Greek and Turkish areas.<<

If the ethnic boundaries "coincided to an amazing degree" in 1946, I assume that you must believe that all these warring factions arrived later? Which, of course, is patently false.

Perhaps what you really meant to say was that "in 1946, ethnic minorities in many European countries were too exhausted by World War II to complain too much about their lot. However, as their host countries became more wealthy, the divisions between their component populations became intolerable, and led to multiple conflicts".

We simply don't have the span of history in Australia to host the kind of simmering hatred fostered by the two religious flavours in Ireland. Nor the centuries of Greek/Turk conflict afflicting Cyprus, that:

"...stretches back to the entry of Turkish nomads into the Byzantine empire in the 11th century, the gradual collapse of the Byzantine empire, the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the long dominance of the dynasty of Osman, or Ottomans, over Greece and the islands of the Eastern Mediterranean" www.cyprus-conflict.net

>>Can people of different ethnicities and cultures ever live together in peace?<<

Of course we can. This is the twentyfirst century, after all. We must surely have learned something by now.

Perhaps it's time we simply admitted the obvious. 'Multi' culturalism is failed.. flawed and foolish.

Bulgaria 83% 'Bulgar'

Hungary 93% 'Hungars'

Romania 89.5 'Romanian'

Lithuania 83% "Lithuanian"

Ukraine 77% "Ukranian"

and so it goes on..

Estonia and Lithuania are the most ethnically unbalanced with only around 50-60% ethnic estonians and Lithuanians.. large Russian minorities exist in them.

In short.. people are people.. and tribal. As current events are showing.
So..'no' there will never be any kind of Human Rights Utopian socialist dream .. never... ever...ever.

Wait..I see the Millenium not far away :) all will be well!