International records / OpenAlex research

Ethnic Conflict in the Military of Developing Nations: A Comparative Analysis of India and Nigeria

Most armies of multiethnic countries have experienced, to varying degrees, ethnic tension within their ranks, a problem that has been especially acute in developing countries. This article seeks to contribute to an understanding of the dynamics of such conflict through a comparative analysis of ethnic conflict in the armies of Nigeria and India, two of the most ethnically diverse nations in the developing world. Because both were colonies of Britain, they were similar in more ways than one. The most important was the system of ethnic recruitment favored by the British. In 1966 and 1984, the Ni…