Economic History, Europe, Specific Demographics, Cultural, Democracy, European, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, Political Ideologies, Anthropology 

The Book provides an overall assessment of ethnic diversity in central Europe in historical context and presents a critical assessment of the conflict in former Yugoslavia. It advances a hypothesis on the origins of ethnic conflict, proposes an approach to the prevention and reduction of ethnic conflict in general and in central Europe in particular, and forwards concrete policy recommendations.
The arguement is made that the core causes of conflict is the perception of threat of the satisfaction of needs, and the key to reduction of ethnic conflict is the satisfaction of human needs. The following recommendations are made.
First, policy- makers and the international community should be less concerned with establishing democratic states than with the freedom of human being. Exercising the right to self-determination in the form of autonomy for a territorial group is in accordance with the principle of democracy,. Democracy without the righto self-rule in freely chosen autonomous entities is truncated democracy.
Second, policy-makers and the international community should be less concerned with creating economically viable states than with the economic well-being of human being. Implementation may require not merely privatization, foreign aid and investment within nation- states,but also creation in wide economic frameworks embracing several states.
This book thus provides an innovative approach to the challenges that ethnic conflict, the desire for democracy and the right to self-determinaio pose in central Europe and the world today.

 

This volume provides an overall assessment of ethnic diversity in Central Europe in historical context and presents a critical assessment of the conflict in former Yugoslavia. It advances a hypothesis on the origins of ethnic conflict, proposes an approach to the prevention and reduction of ethnic conflict in general and in Central Europe in particular, and forwards concrete policy recommendations for the region of East and Central Europe and beyond. - from Amzon 

Introduction: Ethnic conflict and democratic theory (by Anton Pelinka)...........P xi
Setting the stage....................................................................................P xxix
PART I : THE CHALLENGE OF ETHNIC DIVERSITY
1. The ethnic mosaic in Central Europe..........................................P 3
2. Response to diversity - prior to World War I...............................P 20
I In the Ottoman Empire................................................................P 20
II In the Austro-Hungarian Empire..................................................P 29
3 Response to diversity - after World War I...................................P 45
4 Response to diversity - after World War II..................................P 62
5 Yugoslavia: a case study..........................................................P 77

PART II : IN SEARCH OF CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS
6 Theoretical considerations........................................................P 109
7 Policy recommendations...........................................................P 132