A Study On Relationship Between Ethnic Self-determination Andnational Sovereignty In Multinational Countries

Ethnic self-determination is the right that the early European bourgeoisie escaped from the feudal and religious control. With the development of the society, ethnic self-determination has evolved into a principle of international law about dealing with multinational problems. It is a rich concept that national sovereignty can protect of the basic rights of survival and development of independent states. National sovereignty has rich content and characteristics of the times in different historical periods. Ethnic self-determination and national sovereignty played a important role by the establishment of modern European national country. In the early period, there was a very close relationship between the two rights, which ethnic self-determination was the precondition of national sovereignty and national sovereignty had provided the basic guarantee for ethnic self-determination. Both of two rights keep a harmonious relationship. However, with the end of the world anti-colonial movement, especially after the end of the Cold War, the principle of national sovereignty was facing severe challenges from state actors and non-state actors. The international human rights protection has been growing, which is a human basic content of ethnic self-determination that began to enter the field of view of the international community. There are some ethnic separatists misinterpreting connotation of ethnic self-determination and shouting “national independence”.They abused of ethnic self-determination for illegal activities to split the home country. Meanwhile, the Western powers which are for their own strategic interests,and use of “human rights above sovereignty” as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs. The religious extremism and terrorism abuse ethnic self-determination to carry out wantonly violence, it will seriously threat to world peace and development. It has a tremendous challenge between ethnic self-determination and the principle of national sovereignty, and even undermine national sovereignty and territorial integrity.It is necessary to make a comprehensive adjustment to the relationship between ethnic self-determination and national sovereignty after analyzing the conflict within. It includes to essentially limit subject, contents, form and applicable conditions of national sovereignty under the new historical circumstance;to prevent ethnic separatists from abuse of ethnic self-determination and to facilitate the perfection and development of the theory of ethnic self-determination. From the national perspective, to integrate the politics of ethnic people, to identify all nations as a whole and to show sufficient respect to the internal disparity among nations, finally, the conflict can be eradicated. Meanwhile, it is momentous to realize and safeguard the national unification and development through achieving recognition in policies, economy and culture and coordinating principles within an ethnic nation.