United Nations secretary-general Boutros Ghali feels that the break-up of Yugoslavia is the beginning of the world splitting into 400 countries in the next decade. The trend cannot be halted unless rights of minorities move to the top of the international agenda, he says. The U.N. official is of the view that the creation of more countries will be a hurdle in the way of economic development. There will be perpetual boundary disputes. Africa, for instance, has already splintered into 50 countries. “One solution is to find ways to protect minorities by offering machinery to defend human rights,” Ghali has observed.
Implicit in the secretary-general’s statement is information in possession of the world organization suggesting vast areas of unrest. The United Nations must be getting complaints of raw deal from segments of populations in different countries of the world to warrant the drastic conclusion Ghali has arrived at. His assessment of the world trend is quite accurate although there could be more than one opinion on the likely effect of the developing situation on the economic development of the world, Until the first half of this century, the world was divided among 100 countries or so. The latest number of the sovereign nations is about 185. The growth of the sovereign nations has not necessarily led to slowing down of the process of economic development. The Indian sub-continent, for instance, was one vast country which included not only India, Pakistan and Bangladesh but also Sri Lanka, Burma and Bhutan until early years of this century. There has been tremendous growth of economies of the sub-continent after the emergence of sovereign, new nations. This may also be true of Vietnam and Korea in Asia and numerous nations in Europe, Africa and Latin America. The secretary-general’s fear of the economic development being retarded by the growth of sovereign, new nations is, therefore, not warranted by facts.
Ghali’s analysis of the essential nature of the problem namely the raw deal being given to minorities by existing countries including violations of their human rights is more to the point and is at the back of the current world unrest, But the realization of the explosive political situation in a vast array of countries threatening to split them has not come too soon. And, only an official of the world organization, howsoever towering his personality and authoritative his statement, has spoken out and not a single country has mentioned the earth-shaking-phenomenon in the making. There is, therefore, little hope of the secretary general’s prescription of a proper machinery to guard the human rights of the minorities being accepted by the United Nations itself, in the near future.
It is well accepted by now that are evolutionary growth of political consciousness among the masses in different regions led to the collapse of colonial occupation of the world during the first half of this century. The same spirit of freedom is moving ahead inexorably aided by an explosion of education, information and knowledge to promise freedom to the backward, oppressed masses within the countries which until recently had been decried freedom by their colonial masters. Just as yesterday’s colonial powers were predicting doom for the countries struggling to throw off the yoke of slavery, the currently dominating nations see nothing bright for the struggling, new nations to emerge. But the historic phenomenon of human freedom can no longer be halted. For instance, India is heading for the creation of about 30 independent, sovereign, new nations; This was predicted by no less than an Indian sage, Rajneesh, a few years age. History can not be stopped from its course even if today’s colonial masters may enact as “terrorist law,” as in India, which formally bans the making of even predictions about the break-up of India.
Nevertheless, we are generally one with Dr. Ghali on his historic statement and suggest that he take initiave to open a debate on how to ensure the human rights of the minorities of the world. This could possibly be done by involving the minorities themselves in the debate, For this the U.N. first will have to identify the minorities and minority regions and give them proper recognition and honor them. The reality of the world getting divided among 400 nations can no longer be brushed under the U.N, (or any other) carpet.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992
