Autonomies as a Geopolitical Option to Reduce the Risks of Ethnic Conflicts in the Carpatho-Pannonian Region

In the multi-ethnic states of the Carpatho-Pannonian region (CPR), there is a conflicting relationship between two identities: civic and ethno-cultural. The first refers to the Western concept of the nation state: all persons living in a given territory defined by state sovereignty are citizens of that state regardless of their ethno-cultural origin, while the second refers to the ethno-cultural origin of a national community, often called “ethnic-nation” or “Kulturnation.” The mixture of these two concepts of nations frequently creates geopolitical tensions in the CPR. The general application of the concept of “unitary nation state,” which refers to a model of the nation state where the majority of the population represents one nation, has been contributing to conflicting relationships between ethnic minorities and majorities of states in the region. This type of state is based on the sovereignty of the majority, which in the case of states having different minorities leads to the domination of the largest ethnic group over the less numerous communities, which cannot provide a framework for peaceful coexistence among various ethnic groups in multi-ethnic states. This chapter argues that in ethnically diverse regions such as CPR, the autonomies are one of the most effective tools of minority protection, conflict prevention and conflict resolution and are safeguards for ensuring the cultural survival and protection of collective rights of national minorities. From a geopolitical perspective, the implementation of the different types of autonomies can represent a factor of stability and cohesion for the CPR by assuring territorial integrity of the states of the region and reduce the risks of separatist conflicts. This study briefly presents the various concepts of autonomies; then, it examines the historical roots of autonomies in the Carpathian Basin (the core area of the Carpatho-Pannonian region) and after it will focus on the current geographical possibilities of ethnic-based territorial autonomies in this region.