In July 2009, serious ethnic disturbances took place in ܲ쭱i, the capital of Xinjiang, in China's north-west. Although open to diverse interpretations, they embodied serious conflicts between the Uighurs-the most populous ethnic group of Xinjiang-and China's dominant Han nationality. This article seeks to identify the causes of the disturbances, including both those internal to China and those external to it, both short-term and long-term. The issue is important, because Chinese official sources largely blamed outside terrorist and extremist forces, especially those associated with the main Uighur diaspora organizations, while the Uighur diaspora itself, largely supported by Western journalists and scholars, put the responsibility on the Chinese state, charging it with injustices against the Uighurs. This article contributes to the literature by finding both internal and external contributing factors. It also looks at the ramifications of the disturbances, including both the aftermath of the incidents and prospects for the future, and adopts a fairly pessimistic stance concerning short-term ethnic relations. The methodology is textual analysis and personal experience.