Alongside the Northern Irish conflict, the Basque Country hosts the most threatening nationalist conflict in the European Union. Moreover, since September 11 2001, the Basque contention has suddenly achieved an international dimension. Ludger Mees offers a comprehensive study of one of Europe's most protected ethnic conflicts. He draws on his own field research as well as extensively evaluating the findings of historians and social scientists. The main objective of the book is to offer a well balanced presentation of both the principal insights concerning the Basque conflict and theoretical reflections for the reader with more comparative interest in the issues of violence, nationalism, and democracy.