Political Instability and Genocide: Comparing Causes in Asia and the Pacific and Globally

Do factors associated with the outbreak of genocidal violence differ across global regions? This chapter focuses on the role of institutions relating to democratic or authoritarian governance, using statistical models to test hypotheses on five decades of data. Improved understanding of causal factors and potential regional differences can contribute to capabilities for early warning and prevention. The analysis suggests that the roles of domestic political institutions are not substantially different in the Asia and Pacific region as compared to the rest of the world, but rather are strikingly similar, which bodes well for forecasting models cast on a global scale.