Minority Self Determination

[Chris]

What is your opinion of minority ethnic groups looking to create their own nation state or secede from one nation to join another? In what instances do you think the right to self determination should or should not be applicable? Should every nationality be allowed to form their own nation state? Do you think the long term effects of state revision are more or less beneficial than keeping and working with the current status quo?

Some specific examples to consider

• Predominantly Albanian region of Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro)
• Tibet (China)
• Break away republic of Chechnya (Russia)
• Basque Country (France, Spain)
• Predominantly Hungarian regions of south Slovakia, northern Serbia, and western Romania separated from Hungary after WWI
• Kurdistan (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran)
• Serb Republic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Krym peninsula (Ukraine)
• Shan and Karen regions (Myanmar)
• Aceh (Indonesia)

 

[Chris]

My personal view is that in cases where there is a strong desire for state revision, denying people the right to choose peaceful session goes against democratic principles. Saying that you support human rights while at the same time denying people like the Kurds, Kosovo Albanians, and others this right after they have clearly expressed it through democratic practice is hypocritical IMO.

While it's nice to think that post-colonial states like Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Arab states, and most of Africa could develop and prosper under the existing status quo, realistically I just can't see it happening. I see no reason why differnet ethnic groups couldn't enjoy co-operative, friendly, mutually beneficial relationships with one another, or develop into successful multi-cultural societies (like the US, Canada, Australia, etc) through willing immigration, were they allowed to form their own nation states. However I see little hope for countries with arbitrary boundaries, born of foreign conquest and division. History has repeatedly shown that you can't forcibly throw many different people into an artificial nation state and expect them to act as one nationality against their will.

 

[nkgupta80]

yeah colonialism really screwed up those areas... maybe we should colonize one last time, and then make the borders better.