Shows that violent conflict is not an unavoidable ramification of ethnic difference, an outcome of 'age-old ethnic hatreds' as is popularly suggested, nor of an unavoidable 'clash of civilizations.' Most multi-ethnic societies are peaceful, so why then does ethnic or religious conflict break out in some states and not in others? According to CRISE (the Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity), the presence of major horizontal inequalities or inequalities among culturally defined groups significantly raise the risk of conflict. This theory is based on the notion that when cultural differences coincide with economic and political differences between groups, deep resentment results that may lead to violent struggles. One hypothesis suggests a combination of cultural differences and political and economic inequalities running along cultural lines that, in part at least, explain contemporary violent conflict. If this is correct, it suggests important policy implications, for development policy generally as well as for policy in conflict-affected countries.