Establishing the conditions for effective intergroup peacemaking is a formi
dable task in severe ethnic conflicts. Conflict resolution practitioners ar
gue that a critical first step is developing preconditions which convince c
ompeting groups that there are opponents to whom it is worth talking, that
it is possible to create structural changes conducive to a stable peace, an
d that an agreement is possible which can meet each side's basic concerns a
nd needs. This article compares six theories of practice of ethnic conflict
resolution: community relations, principled negotiation; human needs; psyc
hoanalytically rooted identity; intercultural miscommunications and conflic
t transformation, examining how each understands ethnic conflict; the goals
it articulates; the effects of good practice on participants in interventi
ons; the mechanisms by which the project achieves its impact; and the dynam
ics of transfer affecting the course of a wider conflict. It is argued that
clearer articulation of these assumptions will improve both theory and pra
ctice in the search for settlements to severe ethnic conflict.