After being largely neglected in the XX century, today conflict prevention occupies an
increasingly important role on the agenda of policy makers. As Tony Judt said: “Warmaking
is the exception in modern international affairs. The real challenge is
preventing war, making peace and keeping it.”1
At the same time, minorities have a
significant impact on political stability and security in the world. The Minority Rights
Group estimates that minorities comprise 30-40% of the world’s population.2
In
addition, at present most of the conflicts have an inter-ethnic character.3
The classical
clashes and tensions between States appear to have been replaced by conflicts
generated by tensions between ethnically defined groups and often between a national
majority and a national minority. Among various aspects of minority rights the right
to education in the mother tongue has led to many disputes. This is mostly due to the
fact that education in the language of the minority determines to a large degree the
position of a minority language in the state and the degree of participation of persons
belonging to minorities in public services. Against this background, the role of
education as a source of conflict in inter-ethnic relations, but also as one of tools to
prevent them, especially in the long term, deserves special attention.