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Over the past hundred years, the United States has tried to evolve toward a country of accepted diversity. Yet throughout time it seems that whenever the United States takes a step forward toward universal acceptance of all races, they take two steps back toward racial profiling and discrimination. The tragic events after September 11 are proof of the ongoing balkanization within America, as many Arab Americans were forced to deal with the criminalization of their race …

…and the so-called melting pot has cooled. Society generally prefers to associate with members of their own culture. They unite and divide on the basis of ethnic identity. The problems with assimilation and institutional discrimination are present obstacles that prevent minorities from integrating into the mainstream of American society. The United States is not alone; many nations around the world experience similar ethnic and racial tensions that mimic the balkanization of an already divided America.