Democracy and Nation
Prerequisites for Popular Government
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Ukraine’s marked regionalism presents an enormous challenge for nation-building and democracy. On the one hand, it threatens stability and leads to repeated blockage. On the other hand, regional tensions force bargaining and compromise: Therefore, there is no alternative to democracy. Because democracy is a culture of debate, it needs consensus to achieve balance. National identity is a resource for consensus. But only an inclusive national identity that gives political as well as ethnic factors plenty of room makes a contribution to an acceptance of regional diversity that cannot be repealed.
(Osteuropa 2-4/2010, pp. 63–76)
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Демократія та нація