Despite war, violence, and continued internal struggles, Kosovo has managed to build a functional democracy in the two decades following its independence from Serbia. Although the country’s democracy is young, it has already experienced success through free and fair elections, reform initiatives, and the participation of civil society organizations. Nevertheless, Kosovo continues to face powerful […]
Tag: independence
The Fate of a Nation
In the span of three years, from 1986 to 1989, the Iraqi Military Force killed between 50,000 to 182,000 Kurds and destroyed 90 percent of all Kurdish villages in Northern Iraq. This dark episode in history is often referred to as the Anfal Genocide. As the persecutions against the Kurds continued in Iraq, many sought […]
How Catalonia Can Help Itself and the Rest of Spain
In a Business Insider political piece, “Here’s why Catalonia should secede from Spain, and why it won’t” former Catalan MP Alfons López Tena argues in favor of Catalonia’s independence movement. In the article, he argues like many of his peers that the region deserves liberation from alleged Spanish tyranny. However, the claim that Catalonia should […]
The Sovereign State: A Look at Catalonia and Kurdistan
“Common sense will tell us, that the power which hath endeavoured to subdue us, is of all others, the most improper to defend us.” ― Thomas Paine, Common Sense Part I: Catalonia Catalonia, an independent region in the northeastern part of Spain, has recently returned to the international scene. On October 1st, 2017, […]
Iraq’s Kurds: Questions on Self-Determination
Kurdish independence has arguably been one of the most long-standing struggles for self-determination. But with independence referendums taking flight across the world, what makes the Iraqi Kurds’ claim to autonomy more, or less, legitimate? The answer some use is ethnicity. Others look to the historical persecution of the Kurds. These two reasons don’t exist in […]
The Catalan Catch-22
If he negotiates, he loses. If he uses force, he loses. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has dug himself a into a hole where the only remaining options are to give something up– either relinquish control over an ever-more powerful Catalonia, or risk the consequences of losing democratic legitimacy. Since the referendum on October 1st, […]
“Perquè és el Meu Dret”: The Catalan Referendum
Protesters have taken to the famous landmarks in Barcelona to show their desire for a ‘Sí’ vote on the referendum for Catalan independence, scheduled for October 1st. The national government in Madrid seems to be doing all in its power to prevent the vote from occurring. Reports show that forces have been sent to […]
Power Move: Scottish Independence
The recent Independence Referendum in Scotland, where voters flocked to the polls to answer a deceivingly simple question, “Should Scotland be an independent country?” failed by a comfortable margin. 44.7 percent of voters, about 1.6 million, answered yes, while the remaining 55.3 percent of voters, around 2 million, answered no. The week leading up to […]
Referendum is the New Revolt
Weeks of tension, anticipation, and indelible patience led to the ultimate “no”—or “No thanks”, as the Scottish campaign politely advocated—vote on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom on September 18th. Nearly 85% of eligible Scottish voters turned out to give their two pence on the contentious issue, according to NPR’s Ari Shapiro—a turnout that broke […]