如何因應少數族群權利是當代國家的核心議題，隨著知識社群的討論以及國際規範的建立，國家的族群政策不再是單純的國內議題而普遍受到全球更多的關注。當西方國家面對，包括少數族群、原住民族、移民群體以及外邦人等不同的族群類型，逐漸接納自由多元文化的思潮，而普遍採取更為寬容與多元的政策時，本文思考亞洲國家因應少數群體的政策，包括賦予少數群體更多的公民權利以及自治權利時，都呈現了迥異於西方國家的趨勢與態度。本文在研究方法上針對西方國家以及亞洲國家因應少數群體的經驗進行比較分析，對於當代國家面對的族群類型進行分類，而後檢視了西方對於不同族群類型採行自由多元文化主義的脈絡因素，同時回到亞洲國家分析兩者對於自由多元文化主義態度的差異。本文認為西方國家與多數亞洲國家的差異來自於兩個層面，造成當西方逐漸接納自由多元文化主義時，亞洲國家仍然有所疑慮而停滯不前。一方面是少數族群追求自治權利的意願，另一方面則是國家民族主義以及優勢族群接納多元文化的程度。前者基於少數群體人口比重的見解、人權以及平等權利意識的覺醒與否以及民主政治對於個人人權保障的程度等三項脈絡因素：後者則是因為族群議題能否跳脫國家安全層次轉換到常態民主政治運作，以及國家境內不同族群彼此之間對於自由民主的共識程度。亞洲國家因為對於少數族群終將消失抱持樂觀的態度；對於少數民族自治能夠遵循民主原則的高度疑慮；以及亞洲國家長期存在境內少數群體可能通敵叛國的不安全感，而使得亞洲國家採行多元文化的思維舉步維艱。

How to response minority rights is a critical issue in most of modern
nation states. With the academic research and international attention,
Minority issue would not be treated as mere domestic problems. Most Western countries turn toward multiculturalism, however, it is an interesting point to think why Asian countries still remain totally different attitudes in culture rights, language use, autonomy rights, and even basic civil rights. This paper would retrospect the evolving processes and historical context of Western liberal multiculturalism. Then, this paper would further discuss how Western countries develop their specific policies and strategies in dealing minority nationalisms, indigenous people,immigrant groups and metics. Compared Western democratic countries with Asian countries (India is excluded), we could examine the patterns of Asian countries. This paper argues that because the Western countries have their own specific historical, social and political context,governments would allow minority groups to pursue their rights, further,the dominant groups are willing to acceptmulticulturalism. These domestic interactions have five critical preconditions: demographics,rights-consciousness, democracy politics, desecuritization, and liberaldemocratic consensus. In comparing Asia and the West, the societies in Asian doubt the likelihood that sub-state autonomies will be liberalh democratic, and their governments believe that ethic mobilization will disappear over time as a result of modernization and development.Moreover, they fear that minorities will collaborate with enemies of the state.