Comparative Analysis of Homelands’ Diaspora Policies of the EU and the ASEAN Member States

Europe and Southeast Asia are two regions of the world where the minority issue has a crucial importance, but the manner is handled differently. Due to the dissimilarity of development of human rights, the (legal) enforcement of minority rights is far more significant in Europe than in Southeast Asia. As consequence, a comparative analysis of the two region’s minority policies is extremely relevant. At this point, we have to open the “minority issue pack”. The question of minorities consists of numerous aspects and one of these is the question of diasporas which topic was emphasized in course of this research. The paper aims to analyze the diaspora policies of the member states of the two above-mentioned regions’ principal intergovernmental organizations: the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; and to create a typology of homeland’s diaspora policies. The central questions of the research are what are the historic, social, political, economic, legal, religious etc. reasons behind homelands’ diaspora policies and what kind of impacts the diaspora policies have on homelands’ international relations. The basis of the typology is the exploration of the formal and informal relationship between the homeland and its diasporas. The foremost standpoints of the comparative analysis are the examination of the constitutions and other legal resources, the political activity by and through diasporas, and the complex support system between the homeland and its diasporas.