With its unique emphasis on ethnic cooperation rather than discord, this work provides insights into how the international community can help to restrain ethnic conflict in the twenty-first century. By examining the construction of ethnic peace in post–Soviet Eastern Europe, Patrice C. McMahon accurately describes how the international community worked to quell growing tensions in the East. A network of public and private organizations was key; their goal was to work in overlapping ways to manage interethnic relations, which in turn kept ethnically charged clashes far below forecast levels. Inspired by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), this network included Western governments and intergovernmental organizations, and nongovernmental organizations. Although each actor had its own reason for involvement in this network, McMahon highlights the shared principles and convergent strategies they used and how their interaction translated into a modern form of decentralized governance.

In detailed case studies of Romania and Latvia, this book brings to the fore an important discussion too long ignored by the West and in academic research. Writing in a direct, readable fashion, the author connects her subject to a larger review of changes in global governance.