The Problems of Collective Rights in the Protection of National Minorities
The Problems of Collective Rights in the Protection of National Minorities

Author(s): András Bethlendi
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence
Published by: Scientia Kiadó
Summary/Abstract: Two centuries after the French revolution, we start to contest one of the most important heritages of it, the legitimacy of nation-states. The liberal tradition seems to be very tolerant of the assimilative tendencies of the well-known symmetry-based formula: one country – one nation, which is, in most cases, far from reality. We can also see that in the majority of the armed conflicts after the cold war the reason is the self-government aspiration of an ethnic minority group, the attempt to reach an equal status with the ethnic majority. Why are liberalism and nationalism so compatible with each other? Is the nation-state able to rise to the challenge of multicultural society, or should we step forward for a better solution? Can we fulfil the requirement of equality and individual liberty without collective rights? These are the questions that I am seeking the answers for.

• Details
• Contents