Elite Manipulation Essay

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Elite manipulation explanation is another approach in ethnic conflict literature that considerable numbers of scholars adhere to. Scholars of this current stress the role of political leaders and assume their ability to incite the masses to violence. (Brass 1991, Wilkinson 2006) Political leaders who have either lost legitimacy in the eyes of people, or who need it to secure votes and popular backing, appeal to some form of "pure" national or ethnic identity to attain or hold on to power. (Snyder & Bellentine 1996; Wilkinson 2006) In the case of incumbents, through the mass media, over which they have privileged control, they achieve mobilization of people around a ethno-nationalist goal, and “construct” ethnic conflict. (Brass 1997) In the case of those seeking to capture votes or new political offices, a great part of their party platform and campaign rhetoric serves to do the same. …show more content…

Looking at both cases where violence is present as well as those where it is absent, Wilkinson crafts his central argument that town-level electoral incentives account for where Hindu-Muslim violence breaks out and that state-level electoral incentives account for where and when state governments use their police forces to prevent riots; state capacity (though not will) is inconsequential. In his analysis politicians, electoral incentives and subsequent actions (or inaction) are the key variables that lead to or prevent violence; based on its examination of cases where anti-minority violence took place and those where it didn't he demonstrates the weakness of state capacity explanation by showing that if there is political will to stop a riot, even the weakest of Indian states have prevented

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