Separatist movements are nothing new.
Around the world, groups identifying through culture, religion, race, and other collectives
have sought either full autonomy, sovereignty, or independence from existing nations.
In fact, most countries are the products of separatist or secession movements, stemming
from the days when empires controlled huge portions of the world.
Today, there are still many separatist movements, so we wanted to know, who is fighting for
independence in 2017?
Well, in spite of global empires being a relic of the past, there are still an estimated
100 separatist movements, in an overwhelming majority of countries.
One of the most active in 2017 is the Catalan Independence Movement.
Catalonia is a region in northeast Spain, and is home to 7.5 million people.
They have their own language, Catalan, their own culture distinct from Spain, and even
a sort-of autonomous government.
In the early 1900s, Catalonia was effectively a separate state.
But with the rise of Fascist dictator, Francisco Franco in 1939, any talk of autonomy or independence
was banned.
When Spain adopted a democratic constitution in the late 1970s, Catalonia was established
as an autonomous, but still centrally controlled state.
On October 1st, 2017, roughly 90% of Catalan voters agreed that they wanted to become a
separate republic.
This referendum was ruled illegal by the European Commission, and considered a constitutional
violation by Spain’s government.
Spain even sent in a militarized police force to prevent the vote from occurring.
Nonetheless, Catalan’s parliament declared its independence on October 27th to which
the Spanish Prime Minister reacted by dissolving the Catalan parliament.
This extreme tension between the Spanish government and people of Catalonia has led to violent
clashes between protestors and Spanish law enforcement, and in spite of their declaration,
neither Spain nor any other sovereign nation has recognized the region’s independence.
Another European region seeking their own autonomy is Scotland, from the United Kingdom.
While Scotland was once its own sovereign state in the Middle Ages, it was joined with
England in the early 1600s in what was called the “Union of the Crowns”.
Now, technically, Scotland IS a country, with its own parliament, but it has limited powers
within the scope of the United Kingdom, which has direct control over not only Scotland,
but also England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In 2014, a national referendum was held to determine whether or not Scotland whould separate
and become an independent country.
At the time, roughly 55% of respondents voted to stay part of the UK, settling the question
for the time being.
However, just two years later, the United Kingdom as a whole narrowly voted to leave
the European Union, while roughly 62% of Scotland voted to remain.
This raised the question again, and in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, Scotland’s
First Minister voiced the country’s intention to remain in the EU, and that a second referendum
was highly likely.
In response, the British Prime Minister dismissed the idea of independence sparking a renewed
separatist push, and plans for a Scotland referendum to occur in either late 2018 or
early 2019.
The UK has yet to agree, and the question of what will happen next is still up in the
air.
Finally, one of the most active and violent independence movements in the Middle East
and it has recently seen a massive reversal.
An area known as Kurdistan, covering regions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Armenia
is marked by an ethnic population known as the Kurds.
They have their own culture, language, and have sought autonomy since the Ottoman Empire.
While Syrian Kurds were able to take over portions of Syria due to the Civil War and
faltering government, the most controversial portion is in Iraq.
Iraqi Kurdistan is Iraq’s only autonomous region, and has its own government and parliament.
But in September 2017, the region held a vote seeking independence, with more than 92% in
support.
In response, the Iraqi government began taking over Kurdish territory.
In late October, the leader of Iraqi Kurdistan agreed to step down and hand over autonomy
to the Iraqi government, with almost no possibility of actuating the referendum without the approval
of Iraq.
In the past year, these three regions have seen the most action in their fight for independence.
But with their governments unwilling to give up control, there’s no telling what kind
of violence or disorder the struggle for sovereignty will ultimately spark.
So clearly, seeking independence is a hard fought battle, with limited chances of success.
But how hard is it to just start a brand new country?
You can find out in this video to the right.
Thanks for watching NowThis World, don’t forget to like and subscribe for more episodes
just like this, every week.