Realism and neo-realism as the dominant approach in the studies of international relations and foreign policy with their emphasis on states and the dominance of structure over the international system do not believe in the role of ethnicity in the foreign policy of states. However, with the end of the Cold War, we witness the impact of ethnicity on the security arrangements of sub-systems, especially the Middle East. This article while describing the failure of classical realist explanation in analyzing this process, presents the theory of omni-balancing as an appropriate model for explaining the impact of ethnicity and ethnic groups on the foreign policy of states, especially in the Middle East
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