The study of ethno-national conflict is frequently focused on conflicts within the state. However, democratic backsliding, democratization, and challenges to democracy and oppression of diversity can have important international dimensions. This research cluster focuses on the international context, and the interplay between international power structure and diversity within and between states.
Current Projects
The Securitization of Ethnic Minorities Caught Between States
Principal Investigator: ܲܳ&Բ;ő
Start Date: Summer 2021
This project focuses on the impact of securitization on the democratic agency of ethnic minorities “caught between states” – in other words, where cross-border ethnic kinship becomes politicized in inter-state conflict.
Past Projects
Supported by grants from the the BDU project worked to help Ukraine develop the capacity to deliver a self-sustaining program of education that would foster and strengthen commitment to liberal-democratic values and the processes of liberal-democratic governance among its citizens and elites. Research from the BDU project contributed to two books on hate crimes and racial profiling and a textbook entitled Civic Education: the Fundamentals of Democracy? which was approved for use in Ukrainian schools.
The Creating Democratic Value workshop was held from February 25 to 26, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario.
Various working papers were presented on the question of promoting democracy abroad. You can view the Working Paper Series here: Creating Democratic Value: Evaluating Efforts to Promote Democracy Abroad
Receiving support from the Global Peace and Security Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) this project focused on the development of assessment protocols to evaluate the effectiveness of democracy assistance. Of growing concern to donors is their inability to determine whether assistance programs achieve their goals. The Centre designed a project to attempt to address this problem.