Ethnic cleansing

The term ethnic cleansing refers to various policies of forcibly removing people of one

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ethnic group. At one end of the spectrum, it is virtually indistinguishable from forced emigration and population transfer, while at the other it merges with deportation and genocide.

Related Topics:
Ethnic group - Spectrum - Population transfer - Deportation - Genocide

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At the most general level, however, ethnic cleansing can be understood as the forced expulsion of an "undesirable" population from a given territory due to religious or ethnic discrimination, political, strategic or ideological considerations, or a combination of these.

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Some political commentators avoid use of the term, which they see as a political euphemism which attempts to apply a word with positive connotations (cleansing) to a morally objectionable act (forced population movement usually achieved through violence).

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