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The last 15 years have seen an explosion of efforts to develop international norms of minority rights, both at the global level & at regional level. These developments offer the promise of protecting some of the most vulnerable groups in the modern world from serious injustices. Ethnic minorities have not fared well under the Westphalian system of sovereign "nation-states." Various policies of assimilation & exclusion have been directed at minorities in the name of constructing homogenous nation-states, & the international community has historically turned a blind eye to these injustices. Today, however, there is a growing commitment to remedy this situation, & it is increasingly accepted that the treatment of minorities is a matter of legitimate international concern & monitoring. At a minimum, these evolving norms set limits on the means that states can use to pursue their visions of national homogenization. But they also, implicitly at least, offer a competing vision of the state, one which views diversity as an enduring reality & defining feature of the polity, & which views tolerance as a core value. Viewed in this light, the trend towards codifying international norms of minority rights is surely a desirable & progressive one. And yet it raises a number of moral dilemmas & ambiguities. This paper wants to explore some of these dilemmas through a close examination of recent attempts to codify the "rights of national minorities" in Europe. The European experience provides a fascinating, if flawed, experiment in developing international norms of minority rights, one with lessons for other contexts. References. Adapted from the source document.

Thirteen questions are posed & answered related to the most important issues of nationality facing Eastern & Central Europe. The issues discussed include the relationship between nationalism & ethnicity, the geographical distribution of different modes of nationalism, nationalism within a federal regime, minority rights, irrational vs rational motives for nationalisms, & the linkage between nationalisms & the condition of elites & economic problems. Sectarian movements have arisen in weakly consolidated states like Russia & Boznia-Herzegovina. In general, the nation question & nationalist movements are extremely complex & not homogeneous in these regions of multiple cultures, religions, & ethnic groups. M. Pflum

The question of the judicial protection of linguistic minorities can be treated from three different perspectives: international, European & domestic. It is not possible to find an unambiguous, universal & generally accepted definition of the concept of national minority either in international law, or in the international legal practice. States must respect a "minimum standard" of protection of the rights of minorities provided for by the international human rights law. In the European legal framework, for the first time at international level, the prohibition of discrimination against members of a national minority has been codified in the European Convention on Human Rights. Nowadays domestic legal systems can play an active role in safeguard of minorities, not only because the principles of formal & substantial equality & pluralism are protected by national constitutions, but also because in new generation's constitutions it is possible to find rules specifically established in order to protect minorities & their cultural identities. References. Adapted from the source document.

There is a structuring relationship between globalization and migration which assumes a degree of autonomy of undocumented immigrants to change their condition and have a positive or negative influence on globalization processes. This relationship suggests the need for programs that contribute to ensuring that migrants are a positive factor in globalization processes and channel their autonomy into the composition of socially integrated communities and not of minorities inclined toward conflict. To confront the problem, here the idea of universal citizenry is proposed, which appeals to the primacy of the universal system of human rights. Adapted from the source document.

This article studies the Spanish electoral system in the context of problems that have arisen from the formation of minority governments with parliamentary support from parties from autonomous regions. Firstly, the effects of the electoral system on such parties are studied before going on to raise an additional issue which specialized literature scarcely takes into account. This issue concerns the in-built bias of the Spanish electoral system that favors the Right. In general, the disproportional bias towards majority parties has been pointed out, although the role of the Left-Right variable has not been studied in such detail. In this article, electoral simulations illustrate this dimension in relation to absolute majorities, alternance & relations between state-wide parties & regional parties. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.

Provides a liberal analysis of the theoretical feasibility of incorporating cultural rights into the constitutional order of a democratic & liberal society as a way to address the needs of oppressed national minorities. After distinguishing between the notions of nationalism & liberalism in the context of multiculturalism, the problem of rights is discussed. Legal rights are essentially individual rights that can be preserved institutionally. Theoretical & practical implications of integrating cultural rights into the constitutional rule are then identified. Since the legal status of communities as subjects of law is not defined, contradictions oppressive to individuals forming a cooperative society based on a rule of law for the common good may arise. 30 References. Adapted from the source document.

A historical survey of the position & activities of the Latino minority in the US attempting to answer two questions: (1) how & to what extent international relations affect a minority group; & (2) how minority groups transcend transnational political systems. The political activism of the US Latino minority can be subdivided into the following categories: (A) seeking Mexico's assistance in the defense of the rights of the Latino minority in the US; (B) participating in the political & ideological conflicts of Mexico; (3) combining to influence Mexican & US policies that affect them; & (4) defending Mexico's sovereignity. Two historical periods are singled out for special consideration of the role played by Mexican Americans: the Mexican revolution under Juarez, & student unrest in both countries in the late 1970s. It is concluded that concerted political action by the Chicano community can benefit both itself & Mexico, as US foreign policy is subject to influence by the ethnic factor. S. Karganovic.