Challenging the often held belief that democratization necessarily leads to aggressive ethnic nationalism and even violent conflict, this book offers an alternative account of democratization and inter-ethnic relations. It suggests that democratization can in fact help to prevent violent conflict in divided societies, as demonstrated by two case studies: Bulgaria and Macedonia. At a time when democracy promotion is increasingly becoming part of international relations and foreign policy, this study offers some poignant lessons for democratization and conflict resolution in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine to name but a few.