Reflections on the Thesis’s Related to the Minority Question of Tibor Várady

In the Spirit of Sustainability, What Was Confirmed, and What Was Denied by the Practice?

Abstract

The minority question, the protection of national minorities, was/is a challenging issue for many outstanding scholars and remarkable politicians. Academic Tibor Várady, within his rich and colorful intellectual career, often focused his interest on the minority question its just and sustainable management. In the course of this, he formulated some principles whose application may contribute to the development of a sustainable model of minority protection. During his search for a solution, Várady stresses the importance the principle of effective equality, but in the course of applying equality principle, he also insists on the application of the criteria of proportionality and balancing. He attribute special importance to minority autonomy arrangements, but not as a tool of political mobilization, but as chance, whose success partially depends to which extent is possible to involve into the development of the autonomy institution all Hungarians, irrespective from their political party orientation. The practice in Central and East Europe is still following the pattern of ethnic divisions and domination, while the principle of power-sharing and balancing is neglected. In meantime, the globalized economy generates substantial demographic losses to national minorities.