Bulletin n. 2-3/2012
October 2012-February 2013
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Woelk Jens
    Identity-Diversity and the Territorial Dimension in the Western Balkans
    in Europe en formation (L') , n. 363, 2012/1 ,  2012 ,  189-204
    The building of Nation-States in the Western Balkans (WB) after the break-up of Yugoslavia has led to a greater demand for the accommodation of diversity. This paradox is explained by various factors: despite the tragedy of ethnic violence and attempts of ‘ethnic cleansing’ during the 1990s, homogeneity of the population could not be realised and diversity is still characteristic for most (new) States in the area. The need of guaranteeing regional stability for the States, but also the importance of peacefully living-together in diversity as indicator for a truly pluralistic democratic system led to different forms of interventions by the International Community followed by EU conditionality. The main variable emerging from a comparison is the use of territory for accommodating (ethnic) diversity. Following the Nation-State-model of Western and Central Europe, the identification of groups with (control over) a specific territory has often led to exclusive nationalist aspirations and to ethnic violence; today’s challenge is to accommodate diversity, i.e. individual human rights and group claims, within a stable territorial framework.
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