One of their better pieces.
The Origins and Implications of the Scottish Referendum
Stratfor, Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The idea of Scottish independence has moved from the implausible to the very possible. Whether or not it actually happens, the idea that the union of England and Scotland, which has existed for more than 300 years, could be dissolved has enormous implications in its own right, and significant implications for Europe and even for global stability.
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The point of all this is to understand that the right to national self-determination comes from deep within European principles and that it has been pursued with an intensity and even viciousness that has torn Europe apart and redrawn its borders. One of the reasons that the European Union exists is to formally abolish these wars of national self-determination by attempting to create a framework that both protects and trivializes the nation-state.
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The right to national self-determination is not simply about the nation governing itself but also about the right of the nation to occupy its traditional geography. And since historical memories of geography vary, the possibility of conflict grows. Consider Ireland: After its fight for independence from England and then Britain, the right to Northern Ireland, whose national identity depended on whose memory was viewing it, resulted in bloody warfare for decades.
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I think that however the vote goes, unless the nationalists are surprised by an overwhelming defeat, the genie is out of the bottle, and not merely in Britain. The referendum will re-legitimize questions that have caused much strife throughout the European continent for centuries, including the 31-year war of the 20th century that left 80 million dead.
Phi Beta Iota: There are over 5,000 active secessionist movements around the world. In the USA there are three particularly strong secessionist movements likely to succeed in achieving independence in the next 25 years: Hawaii, Vermont, and Alaska. The above essay emphasizes the rights of self-determination. What it fails to stress is that those rights deepen in the face of persistent repression and misgovernance.
See Especially:
Graphic: Preconditions of Revolution in the USA Today
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Self-Determination & Secession
See Also:
Worth a Look: Book Review Lists (Positive Future-Oriented)
Worth a Look: Book Review Lists (Negative Status-Quo)
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Corruption 2.0
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Democracy Lost & Found
Worth a Look: Recent Books on True Cost Economics