Till Death Do Us Part? The Nature of Secession Movement
Date
1998
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Secession movements have been occurring for centuries. However political discourse is only beginning to recognize and analyze the nature of secessions. It is important to study secessions because of the often violent character that separatists and governments assume when trying to attain their respective goals: independence and unity. In this essay, four case studies are examined where secession has taken place or is the process of being resolved. In three of the four cases, Canada/Quebec, Slovenia/Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, the separatist movements have been relatively peaceful affairs. In the fourth study, Russia/Chechnya, the struggle for independence resulted in extreme warfare. This essay looks at why in some cases secession leads to violence while in others it is peaceful. The main premise of the argument is that the strategies and actions of the political leadership coupled with the justifications both sides use to support their behavior plays a very important role in influencing the nature of the conflict. How the politicians decide to approach and react to the advances each makes defines the nature of the conflict because these leaders have the resources and power to help advance their objectives. By analyzing the politics behavior of leader involved in both peaceful and violent secessions, one may be able to determine the early warning signs of possible violence and the international community may be able to intervene and mediate before an unpleasant situations arises.