Külpolitika - A Magyar Külügyi Intézet elméleti-politikai folyóirata - 1976 (3. évfolyam)
1976 / 4. szám - A tanulmányok orosz és angol nyelvű tartalmi kivonata
The Second World War swept away the national minorities protection of the period between the two world wars, together with other aspects of the Versailles treaty-system which had shown itself unfit for survival. The problem of national minorities was raised once again after 1945, both within the UN and in post-war inter-state relations. The problem, without really ceasing to exist, was relagated to the background in both diplomacy, and international law, at least compared with the between the war situation. Joó examines what factors produced this turn of events. Growing differences within the anti-fascist coalition manifested themselves also in relation to the minorities problem. The Soviet Union, and the other countries of the nascent socialist community, made a number of proposals suggesting that the protection of minorities and several other collective social and cultural rights be included in the Charter. Opposition by the Western Powers, and the UN power relations of the time aborted these proposals, which were rejected together with compromise texts put forward by Denmark, Columbia and Pakistan. Changes in the international atmosphere, and a general shift in power relations led to a number of UN and Unesco resolutions being accepted in the ’sixties, which laid down norms and principles concerned with the protection of national minorities. A UN Subcommittee to prevent discrimination and protect minorities has arranged for much research and organizing in this field. The growth of minority rights since 1945, within the UN, and in multi and bilateral interstate relations, has been in three, closely interconnected directions. Stress was laid on collective, and not individual rights, on special rights and not general ones, and on positive rights as against the negative. These changes lessened, but did not put an end to the contradiction which is still there between the competence and duties of the world organization, and the steps it has so far taken to protect national minorities. Since one must reckon with a growth in the importance of international organizations in international relations, and the national question is also growing in importance as part of social processes, democratic and principled solution of the latter will be an important task for general agreements to be concluded in the years to come. Rudolf Joó: The UN and the protection of national minorities m
