Battling balkanization: regional approaches toward minority protection beyond Europe

摘要

The age-old problem of constructing domestic and international regimes that promote the peaceful coexistence of distinct groups in multicultural regions requires constant attention. Although no firm statistics exist, estimates suggest that 10 to 20 percent of the world's population belong to [minority groups]. This means that between 600 million and 1.2 billion people are in need of special measures for the protection of their rights, given that minorities are often among the most disadvantaged groups in society, their members often subject to discrimination and injustice and excluded from meaningful participation in public and political life. The failure of states to establish a strong minority protection system at the international and regional levels reflects the persisting fear that minorities' claims could crescendo to a level that threatens state integrity. Indeed, the term "balkanization," which relates to the division of a land into smaller, mutually hostile states, originally referred to the fractious relations between distinct ethno-cultural groups in central and eastern Europe that undermined national and regional stability.