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The author's take on ethnic conflict builds on the institutionalist debates between Horowitz and Lijphart and is pluralist when it comes to methods. As a result, the consistent findings he stresses relate to the relevance of institutions (electoral laws, federalism) and demography (group concentration, not fractionalization). As a scholar of International Relations, he tends to focus on the transnational dynamics of ethnic conflict. The research question that he would pursue if he had more time and resources would be: why do people follow some politicians who play various ethnic cards and not others? That is, some politicians try to manipulate ethnic identities by highlighting one at the expense of others and by promoting specific aspects of that identity. Not all such politicians are successful in such efforts.