This study, commissioned by the U.S. Institute of Peace, is a comprehensive survey of 233 different minority or communal groups around the world that methodically analyzes their geographic distribution and their economic, political and cultural situations. It attempts to answer questions such as why minorities rebel and what steps can be taken to settle ethnopolitical conflicts. The methodology is quantitative. While there are individual chapters on regions like Eastern Europe and the Middle East, this book will be more valuable for its completeness and scope than for its detail.