Ethnic Cleansing

Background
The term "ethnic cleansing" had not surfaced until the late twentieth century in order to highlight the distinction between ethnic cleansing and genocide. Genocide, which is a warcrime, has legal and political charges which do not always apply to ethnic cleansing. For example, genocide must have intent to remove groups of people entirely. Ethnic cleansing may apply to cases where that intent is not provable. In other words, ethnic cleansing has not been considered a warcrime because there is no single and clear definition for what qualifies to be ethnic cleansing.

Description
Ethnic cleansing refers to the elimination of an ethnic group from a geographical area. Methods to do so include forcible removal, murder, detention, executions, and other actions that attempt to move an ethnic group. The variation in methodology contributes to the reasons why ethnic cleansing often does not have a clear definition. If the methods used to remove an ethnic group involve destruction of the group, then it may be considered genocide. However, methods are not limited to ending lives, and it therefore can not be labeled as genocide.

While ethnic cleansing is not considered a war crime, it is considered by the International Criminal Court as a crime against humanity. This only pertains to the forced removal of an ethnic group. The methods in doing so may be considered crimes under international law.

Causes
The notion of superiority or "otherness" is essential in evoking nationalist sentiments. It is crucial for people to believe that they are more deserving than others because of some important and shared quality, often ethnicity. Individuals or groups in power may turn to ethnic cleansing in an effort to assure that the group of people who remain should feel proud of themselves. In theory, after ethnic cleansing occurs, the people who remain are more willing to cooperate with the group or individual that believes they are more worthy.