Internal Political Self-Determination

Internal political self-determination means to freely determine one s political status. 

While the number of overlaps is moderate, the minority rights which directly address issues of participation cover a large area of the large circle of political self-determination. When speaking of a large overlap, it is all the more important to note the content of self-determination—the circle on self-determination is solely concerned with internal self-determination. 

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M. Evans and D.T Olidge, What can the Past Teach the Future Lessons from Internationally Supervised Self-determination Elections 1920-1990 , 2 New York University Journal of International Law and Politics (1991/1992). 

Just as self-determination is often equated with political self-determination, economic development is often discussed under the general headline development. The United Nations are concerned with development, though it is development aimed at states and not at peoples as self-determination demands. Economic development touches on the system as such through the participation of the state in international economic organizations and in particular the power over one s own natural resources. The free disposal over natural wealth and resources is mentioned in art. 1 (2) ICCPR. The Human Rights Committee has stated that this is a particular aspect of the economic content of the right to self-determination. Art. 2 of the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States lists the economic freedoms a state has. The article explains economic state activities however, it does not explicitly address economic development. Art. 7 places the prime responsibility for economic development on the state. Art. 1 firmly places decisions on the economic system within the state in accordance with the will of the people no interference or coercion fi om external actors may take place. 

The right to participation does not equal political self-determination in the sense of determining a political status. Participation is a part of political self-determination when considering the internal aspect of self-determination. Internal self-determination is characterized by democratic and possibly legitimate processes. The right to participation for minorities contributes to the understanding of internal self-determination. 

While it is thinkable that a minority could establish a parallel economy to the majority society, it seems much more obvious that minorities also participate in the larger context where they are located. Thus, economic self-determination for minorities is difficult to conceive by itself. In connection with political self-determination, economic self-determination begins to make more sense however, still remains somewhat weak. Again, there is an overlap between minority rights with an economic dimension and internal economic self-determination without the two being congruent. 

The right to participation most obviously hints at political self-determination. Minorities do not have the right to unilaterally change their political status however, they do have the right to participate. Internal self-determination is about... 

It also should be noted that in the present international system self-determination is not conceived as the capacity of one worldwide political community to be shaped by the conditions of its internal life (and thus be self-determining, or in control of its future, in a non-relational sense). Such a community could exist. Its members would need to be able to maintain their group identity internally to avoid a split that would make some members outsiders, although they could not engage in self-determination as the exercise of freedom with respect to other similar communities. But if such a community did exist, the problem of moral entitlement to the... 

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 1 Right of self-determination... 

Of course, classically, self-determination has been defined as the right of peoples freely to determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development.In practice, the application of this provision had been severely contextually reduced, in both its external and internal dimensions. As was noted at the outset, external self-determination in the sense of secession would appertain only to colonial peoples defined by prolonged colonial administration within uti possidetis boundaries. Internal self-determination would address both the constitutional system of public authority and the right of democratic participation in governance. However, it was simply presumed that any constitutional system and structures of governance were, merely by virtue of their existence, the product of free determination by the people concerned. Internal self-determination was therefore, until quite recently, practically irrelevant. 

Istvm Bibo, The Paralysis of International Institutions and the Remedies A Study of Self determination, Concord Among the Major Powers, and Political Arbitration (Hassocks Harvester Press Ltd., 1976). 

Derek W. Bowett, Self-determination and Political Rights in the Developing Conntries, Proceedings of the American Society of International Law, 60th Session, 1966. 

Paul H. Brietzke, Self-determination, or Jurisprudential Confusion Exacerbating Political Conflict , 14 Wisconsin International Law Journal (1995). 

Michael Freeman, The Right to Self-determination in International Politics Six Theories in Search of a Policy , 25 Review of International Studies (1999). 

Alexis Heraclides, The Self-determination of Minorities in International Politics (London Frank Cass, 1991). 

David B. Knight, Territory and People or People and Territory Thoughts on Postcolonial Self-determination , 7 International Political Science Review (1985). 

Eric Kolodner, Population Transfer The Effects of Settler Infusion Policies on a Host Population s Right to Self-determination , 27 Mew York University Journal of International Law and Politics (1994). 

E.M. Morgan, The Imagery and Meaning of Self-determination , 20 New York Universip Journal of International Law and Politics (1987/1988). 

James Summers, The Status of Self-determination in International Law A Question of Legal Significance or Political Importance , 14 The Finnish Yearbook of International Law iJDQ ,). 

Mary E. Turpel, Indigenous Peoples Rights of Political Participation and Self-determination Recent International Legal Developments and the Continuing Struggle for Recognition , 25 Cornell International Law Journal (1992). 

Doyle MW (1983) Kant, liberal legacies, and foreign affairs. Philos Public Aff 12 205-235 Freeman M (1999) The right to self-determination in international politics six theories in search of a policy. Rev Int Stud 25 355-370... 

Self-determination has shown itself to be a flexible concept. From Wilson s internal idea to decolonization it is argued it has turned back to political participation. If art. 1 is understood in this form there is much less reason to argue against a universal applicability. The Human Rights Committee has continuously applied self-determination to post-decolonization contexts and the idea has undoubtedly taken a general hold. ... 

Human Rights Committee The Human Rights Committee is the monitoring body of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Committee is not a prominent actor in the fields of minority rights or self-determination but its General... 

CERD General Comment The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has adopted a General Comment on self-determination even though the Convention does not mention self-determination. The Committee points out that self-determination has an internal and an external aspect. Internal self-determination concerns the economic, social and culmral development while external self-determination means freely determining the political stams. ... 

European Organizations European organizations are mostly quiet on the issue of self-determination. The Final Act of Helsinki includes the principle of self-determination however, this is one of the very few times self-determination is mentioned in non-binding instruments of the OSCE and the Council of Europe. Principle Vin of the Final Act stresses that all peoples always have the right... to determine their internal and external political status. A couple of things need to be noted. This principle clearly takes self-determination out of the colrmial context. Secondly, self-determination is limited to the political sphere. There is no reference to economic, social and cultural development. 

Koskenniemi M (1990) The politics of international law. Eur J Int Law 1 4-32 Kukathas C, Pettit P (1990) Rawls - a theory of justice and its critics. Polity Press, Cambridge Margalit A, Raz J (1990) National self-determination. J Philos 87 439-461 Moris H (1997) Self-determination an affirmative right or mere rhetoric ILSA J Int Comp Law 4 201-220... 

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