Can Liberal Pluralism be Exported?

Many post-communist countries in Central/Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are being encouraged, indeed pressured, by Western countries to improve their treatment of ethnic and national minorities and to adopt Western models of minority rights. But what are these Western models? Will they work in Eastern Europe? Here, Will Kymlicka describes a model of Western "liberal pluralism," discussing what would be involved in adopting it in the East. This is followed by commentaries from activists involved in minority rights' issues, both as practitioners and as academics, and Kymlicka's replies to their analyses. Sure to interest anyone concerned with ethnic conflict, this volume will spark discussion among all those struggling over the question of whether Western liberal values can or should be promoted in the rest of the world.

Will Kymlicka is a Professor of Philosophy, Queen's University, Ontario. Magda Opalski is an Associate Professor, Institute of Soviet and East European Studies, Carleton University.