The author of the article seeks to demonstrate that often the escalation of ethno-political conflict has an irrational and emotional basis, which lies in cultural stereotypes, unsatisfied (imaginary and real) interests, historical grievances, mythologized representations of the parties about each other, etc. In turn, the rejection of the serious conflict of any dissent by the parties leads to a dualistic view of the world, which is divided into absolute good and absolute evil, which causes even more rigid opposition media «higher truth» and those who oppose its implementation. Precisely because of this excessive emotional component of the actualized ethnic identity, ethno-political conflicts are characterized by a high degree of irrationality, expressed in a huge potential of aggression, hatred and hostility, far beyond the rational awareness of the interests of the participants in the conflict and the choice of interaction strategy.