The Significance Of Self-determination

The self-determination incident of Kosovo and Crimea attracted the extensiveattention from the international society. Out of the considerations of political goal andstrategic interest, great powers like America and Russia were all involved in it andplayed different roles at the back. When the objective conditions are nearly consistent,America and Russia held completely opposite attitude towards the twoself-determination incidents. According to the introduction to the historicalbackground of Kosovo and Crimea incidents, it is thought that Kosovo and Crimeaincidents were only the epitome of the abuse of self-determination right. The abuse ofself-determination right set the international society into the panic of nationalindependence, and its negative impact was also far from it. Substantial facts haveshown that till today, the self-determination right has always been taken by thewestern powers and national separatists as the ‘legal basis’ of sovereignty-separatingcountries, which may result in the tension in local situation and chaos in internationalorder.In this paper, the domestic and foreign viewpoints on the self-determination rightare classified and summarized with the case study, literature analysis and comparativeanalysis, forming the author’s understanding about the self-determination right. At thebeginning of its occurrence, the self-determination right was a theoretical weapon ofthe colonized and the oppressed to fight for independence. With the ending ofcolonization, some scholars think that the self-determination right has already lost itssignificance, but according to the author, the content of self-determination right hasbeen enriched constantly with the development of the times, and it still has its valueand significance. The self-determination principle has already transformed from thedomestic political principle to the international political principle, and then to theinternational rule of law. In such as process, changes have taken place in the concept,subject and content of the self-determination right. The subject has already developedto be the people of a country. When some of the people have been prosecuted, discriminated, and severely threatened, they shall be the subjects executing theself-determination right. The contents of self-determination right include the fight forthe independence, as well as the right of economic, social and cultural development.In the21stcentury, the self-determination right shall pay more attention to theprotection of state sovereignty and human rights.The system of regional national autonomy is a social system with Chinesecharacteristics, and it is the extension and development of self-determination right inChina. The system of regional national autonomy offers valuable experience oftreating the national problems by multi-nation countries, and it also providesenlightenment to the enrichment and development of the execution ofself-determination right.The self-determination right is a right of fighting for independence anddevelopment, and its connotation has been enriched with the development of thetimes. The right stemming from the nationalism, natural law and social contracttheory is still vigorous in the new time, and it plays a positive role for the stability ofinternational society, security of state sovereignty, as well as the development of theeconomic society.