What does "fanned by racism and ethnic hatred" likely mean?

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1 Answer
lechugamaestro19
Apr 16, 2018

"...intensified/ made worse by racism and ethnic hatred."

Explanation:

When the author says that the conflicts are fanned by something, they're using a figure of speech and a variant of the fan the flames idiom. When a flame is fanned, it grows. When the phrase is used non-literally, it means that a situation is being intensified.

Example:

  • Use: His attempts to assuage her anger only fanned the flames.
  • Meaning: His attempts to assuage her anger only made her angrier.

Similarly, by

"regional conflicts... which are fanned by racism and ethnic hatred",

the author means

"regional conflicts... which are made worse by [racial tensions]."

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