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This article is about self-determination in politics. For the psychology theory, see Self-determination theory. Self-determination theory (SDT is a general theory of human motivation concerned with the development and functioning of personality within social contexts

Self-determination is defined as free choice of one’s own acts without external compulsion, and especially as the freedom of the people of a given territory to determine their own political status or independence from their current state. Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising [1] The latter is a complex concept with conflicting definitions and legal criteria for determining which groups may legitimately claim the right to self-determination. [2]

Contents

History

Pre-20th Century

Just as colonisation and colonialism have been practiced throughout human history, political self-determination has been cherished by people through history, the ancient Mesopotamian and later Greek city-states being early examples. Colonisation (also known as Colonization) occurs whenever any one or more species populates a new area See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding A polis ( πόλις, pronunciation, in English-- plural poleis ( πόλεις, pronunciation, in English --is a City, a [2]

The revolt of the British colonists in North America has been defined as the first assertion of the right of national and democratic self-determination because of the explicit invocation of natural law, the natural rights of man and consent of, and sovereignty by, the people, ideas inspired particularly by John Locke’s writings. John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704 was an English Philosopher. Thomas Jefferson furthered promoted the notion that the will of the people was supreme, especially through authorship of the Declaration of Independence which inspired Europeans throughout the 19th century. This article is about declarations of independence in general [2] The French Revolution also was motivated by and legitimatized ideas of self-determination. [3][4]

During the early 1800s most of the nations of South America achieved independence from Spain. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Because Spain was virtually cut off from its colonies during the Peninsular War of 1808–1814 Latin America was in these years ruled by independent juntas The American public, organized groups and even Congressional resolutions, often supported such movements, especially the Greek War of Independence (1821-29) and the demands of Hungarian revolutionaries in 1848. The Greek War of Independence (1821–1829 also commonly known as the Greek Revolution (Ελληνική Επανάσταση Elliniki Epanastasi; Ottoman However, such support never became official government policy. After the American Civil War the United States government opposed self-determination for the West Indian islands of St. Thomas and St. John in 1868, the Hawaiin Islands in 1868. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the By the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1899 the United States supported its annexation without the consent of the peoples the former Spanish colonies of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines; it retained “quasi-suzerainty” over Cuba. Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP [2]

World War I and II

Woodrow Wilson revived the American commitment to self-determination, at least for European states, during World War I. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All When the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia in November 1917, they called for Russia’s immediate withdrawal as a member of the Allies of World War I. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. They also supported the right of all nations, including colonies, to self-determination. (As early as 1914 Lenin wrote: “[It] would be wrong to interpret the right to self-determination as meaning anything but the right to existence as a separate state. ”[5]) The 1918 Constitution of the Soviet Union acknowledged the right of secession for its constituent republics. The first Soviet Constitution, which governed the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, described the regime that assumed power in the October Revolution of Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its [2]

This presented a challenge to Wilson’s more limited demands. In January of 1918 Wilson issued his Fourteen Points of January 1918 which, among other things, called for adjustment of colonial claims, as long as the interests of colonial powers had equal weight with the claims of subject peoples. The Fourteen Points were listed in a speech delivered by President Woodrow Wilson of the United States to a joint session of the United [2] The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918 led to Russia's exit from the war and the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. Not to be confused with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (February 9 1918, a similar treaty involving Ukraine and the Central Powers. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Latvia ( Latvija officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republika is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. The end of the war led to the dissolution of the defeated Austria-Hungary empire and the creation by the Allies of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the union of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and the Kingdom of Serbia as new states. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The State of Slovenes Croats and Serbs was a short-lived state formed from the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after its dissolution at the end of The Kingdom of Serbia ( Serbian Cyrillic: Краљевина Србија Serbian Latinica Kraljevina Srbija) was created when Prince Milan Obrenović ruler However, this imposition of states where some nationalities (especially Poles, Czechs, and Serbs and Romanians) were given power over nationalities who disliked and distrusted them eventually helped lead to World War II. The Romanians (dated Rumanians or Roumanians; Romanian: români or historically and today rather seldom and only regional rumâni World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The defeated Ottoman empire was dissolved into the Republic of Turkey and several smaller nations, plus the new Middle east Allied “protectorates” of Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. In International law, a protectorate is a autonomous territory that is "protected" by a stronger state or entity hense the protector which engages to protect Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya The League of Nations was proposed as much as a means of consolidating these new states, as a path to peace. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 Peace, in the modern usage is a concept defined by the ideal state of relationship as absence of hostility at the international level that of a War. [6]

During the 1920s and 1930s there were some successful movements for self-determination in the beginnings of the process of decolonization. Decolonization refers to the undoing of Colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction In the Statute of Westminster the Great Britain granted independence to Canada, New Zealand, Newfoundland, the Irish Free State, the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Union of South Africa after the British parliament declared itself as incapable of passing laws over them without their consent. The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (22 & 23 Geo See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. } The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day state of the Republic of South Africa. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Egypt, Aghanistan and Iraq also achieved independence from Britain and Lebanon from France. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Other efforts were unsuccessful, like the Indian independence movement. The term " Indian independence movement " is diffuse incorporating various national and regional campaigns agitations and efforts of both Nonviolent and Militant And Italy, Japan and Germany all initiated new efforts to bring new territories under their control, leading to World War II. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The UN Charter

In 1941 Allies of World War II signed the Atlantic Charter and accepted the principle of self-determination. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. The Atlantic Charter was negotiated at the Atlantic Conference (codenamed Riviera) by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U In January 1942 twenty-six nations signed the Declaration by United Nations, which accepted those principles. The Declaration by United Nations was a World War II document agreed to on January 1 1942 during the Arcadia Conference by 26 governments several The ratification of the United Nations Charter in 1945 at then end of World War II placed the right of self-determination into the framework of international law and diplomacy. The United Nations Charter is the Treaty that forms and establishes the International organization called the United Nations.

However, the charter and other resolutions did not insist on full independence as the best way of obtaining self-government, nor did they include an enforcement mechanism. Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of Organization. Moreover, nations were recognized by the legal doctrine of uti possidetis juris, meaning that old administrative boundaries would become international boundaries upon independence, even if they had little relevance to linguistic, ethnic, and cultural boundaries. Uti possidetis juris is a principle of international law that states that newly formed states should have the same borders that they had before their independence [10][11] Nevertheless, justified by the language of self-determination, between 1946 and 1960, the people of thirty-seven new nations freed themselves from colonial status in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. [2][12][13] The territoriality issue inevitably would lead to more conflicts and independence movements within many nations and challenges to the assumption that territorial integrity is as important as self-determination. Territorial integrity is the principle under International law that nation-states should not attempt to promote Secessionist movements or to promote Border [10]

The Soviet Union’s successful post-war efforts to turn Eastern Germany and the countries of Eastern Europe into Soviet satellite states contrasted with decolonization. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Satellite state is a political term that refers to a country which is formally independent but under heavy influence or control by another country The additional success of communists in creating the People's Republic of China led to the Cold War with western nations. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the These nations became willing to support authoritarian governments as long as they remained anti-communist and began to suspect all self-determinations movements of being communist-inspired or controlled. Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and Thus the United States entered into a 10 year war in Vietnam, taking over from French colonialists, and supported Portugal in its attempts to hold on to Angola. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central The Soviet Union also violated principles of self-determination by suppressing the Hungarian revolution of 1956 and the Prague Spring Czechoslovak reforms of 1968. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 ( Hungarian: 1956-os forradalom) was a spontaneous nationwide Revolt against the Stalinist government of The Prague Spring ( Czech: Pražské jaro, Slovak: Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during It invaded Afghanistan to support an increasingly unpopular communist government assailed by local tribal groups. The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving [2]

The Cold War began to wind down after Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power in March 1985. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ( Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov;; born 2 March 1931 in Privolnoye Stavropol Krai) is a Russian politician With the cooperation of U. S. president Ronald Reagan, Gorbachev wound down the size of the Soviet Armed Forces and reduced nuclear arms in Europe, while liberalizing the economy. The Soviet Armed Forces refers to the armed forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from its establishment during the Russian Civil War in 1918 by the The economy of the Soviet Union was based on a system of State ownership, administrative planning Socialist competition and free labour In 1989 in rapid succession, communist regimes collapsed in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Romania. In December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as president and the Soviet Union dissolved relatively peacefully into fifteen sovereign republics, all of which rejected communism and adopted democratic reforms and free-market economies. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Yugoslavia began a much more violent break up in 1990. See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian [2]

Current Issues

Since the early 1990s, the legitimatization of the principle of national self-determination has led to an increase in the number of conflicts within states, as sub-groups seek greater self-determination and even full secession, and as their conflicts for leadership within groups and with other groups and with the dominant state become violent. [14] The international reaction to these new movements has been uneven and often dictated more by politics than principle. The year 2000 United Nations Millennium Declaration failed to deal with these new demands, mentioning only “the right to self-determination of peoples which remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation. ”[11][15]

In an issue of Macquerie University Law Journal Associate professor Aleksandar Pavkovic and Senior Lecturer Peter Radan outlined current legal and political issues in self-determination. [16] These include:

Defining “peoples”

There is not yet a recognized legal definition of “peoples” in international law. Vita Gudeleviciute of Vytautas Magnus University Law School, reviewing international law and UN resolutions, finds in cases of non-self-governing peoples (colonized and/or indigeneous) and foreign military occupation “a people” is the entire population of the occupied territorial unit, no matter their other differences. Vytautas Magnus University (VMU (Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas(VDU is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. In cases where people lack representation by a state’s government, the unrepresented become a separate people Present international law does not recognize ethnic and other minorities as separate peoples. [11] Other definitions offered are “peoples” being self-evident (from ethnicity, language, history, etc. ), or defined by “ties of mutual affection or sentiment,” i. e. “loyalty,” or by mutual obligations among peoples. Or the definition may be simply that a people is a group of individuals who unanimously choose a separate state. If the “people” are unanimous in their desire for self-determination, it strengthens their claim. For example, the populations of federal units of the Yugoslav federation were considered a people in the breakup of Yugoslavia, even though some of those units had very diverse populations. [16] Libertarians who argue for self-determination distinguish between the voluntary nation (the land, the culture, the terrain, the people) and the state, the coercive apparatus, which they have a right to choose or self-determine. [6]

Self-Determination versus Territorial Integrity

National self-determination challenges the principle of territorial integrity (or sovereignty) of states because it is the will of the people that makes a state legitimate. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself This implies a people should be free to choose their own state and its territorial boundaries. However, there are far more self-identified nations than there are existing states and there no legal process to redraw state boundaries according to the will of these peoples. [16]

Pavkovic and Radan describe three theories of international relations relevant to self-determination.

Allen Buchanan, author of seven books on self-determination and secession, supports territorial integrity as a moral and legal aspect of constitutional democracy. Allen Buchanan is the James B Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. However, he also advances a “Remedial Rights Only Theory” where a group has “a general right to secede if and only if it has suffered certain injustices, for which secession is the appropriate remedy of last resort. ” He also would recognize secession if the state grants, or the constitution includes, a right to secede. [11]

Vita Gudeleviciute holds that in cases of non-self-governing peoples and foreign military occupation the principle of self-determination trumps that of territorial integrity. In cases where people lack representation by a state’s government, they also may be considered a separate people, but under current law cannot claim the right to self-determination. On the other hand, he finds that secession within a single state is a domestic matter not covered by international law. Thus there are no on what groups may constitute a seceding people. [11]

Methods of Increasing Minority Rights

In order to accommodate demands for minority rights and avoid secession and the creation of a separate new state, many states decentralize or devolve greater decision-making power to new or existing subunits or even autonomous areas. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level More limited measures might include restricting demands to the maintenance of national cultures or granting non-territorial autonomy in the form of national associations which would assume control over cultural matters. This would be available only to groups that abandoned secessionist demands and the territorial state would retain political and judicial control, but only if would remain with the territorially organized state. [16]

Self-determination versus majority rule/equal rights

Pavković explores how national self-determination, in the form of creation of a new state through secession, could override the principles of majority rule and of equal rights, which are primary liberal principles. Majority rule is a decision rule that makes one of two alternatives the "winner" based on which has more than half the votes This includes the question of how an unwanted state can be imposed upon a minority. He explores five contemporary theories of secession. In “anarcho-capitalist” theory only landowners have the right to secede. In communitarian theory, only those groups that desire direct or greater political participation have the right, including groups deprived of rights, per Allen Buchanan. In two nationalist theories, only national cultural groups have a right to secede. Australian professor Harry Beran’s democratic theory endorses the equality of the right of secession to all types of groups. Unilateral secession against majority rule is justified if the group allows secession of any other group within its territory. [17][18]

Constitutional law

Most sovereign states do not recognize the right to self-determination through secession in their constitutions. Many expressly forbid it. However, there are several existing models of self-determination through greater autonomy and through secession. [19]

In liberal constitutional democracies the principle of majority rule has dictated whether a minority can secede. Majority rule is a decision rule that makes one of two alternatives the "winner" based on which has more than half the votes In the United States Abraham Lincoln acknowledged that secession through constitutional amendment. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Supreme Court in Texas v White, held secession could occur “through consent of the States. A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some Jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's Texas v White, was a significant case argued before the United States Supreme Court in 1869 ” The British Parliament in 1933 held that Western Australia only could secede from Australia upon vote of a majority of the country as a whole; the previous two-thirds majority vote for secession via referendum in Western Australia was insufficient. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. [16]

The Chinese Communist Party followed the Soviet Union in including the right of secession in its 1931 constitution in order to entice ethnic nationalities and Tibet into joining. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the However, once in control of the territories the party eliminated the right to secession from the constitution. The 1947 Constitution of the Union of Burma contained an express state right to secede from the union under a number of procedural conditions. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. It was eliminated in the 1974 constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (officially the “Union of Myanmar”). Burma still allows “local autonomy under central leadership. ”[19]

As of 1996 the constitutions of Austria, Ethiopia, France, Singapore, Saint Kitts and Nevis Republics have express or implied rights to secession. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Singapore The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island Switzerland allows for the secession from current and the creation of new cantons. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation In the case of proposed Quebec separation from Canada the Supreme Court of Canada in 1998 ruled that only both a clear majority of the province and a constitutional amendment confirmed by all participants in the Canadian federation could allow secession. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk The Supreme Court of Canada ( French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian [19]

The 2003 draft of the European Union Constitution allowed for the voluntary withdrawal of member states from the union. The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended [19] There was much discussion about such self-determination by minorities[20] before the final document underwent the unsuccessful ratification process in 2005.

International law

Given the hundreds of minority groups seeking greater autonomy and even full secession into a new state, there is need for a new understanding of the right to self-determination that applies to minority national groups and indigenous populations. At the very least this would encourage states to these groups more internal self-determination to deter secessionist demands. [16]

Drawing New Borders

Once groups exercise self-determination through secession, the issue of the proposed borders may prove more controversial than the fact of secession. The bloody Yugoslav wars in the 1990s were related mostly to borders issues because the international community applied a version of “uti possidetis juris” in transforming existing internal borders of the various Yugoslav republics into international borders, despite the conflicts of ethnic groups within those boundaries. The northern two-thirds of Quebec already has made it clear it will resist by force being incorporated into a Quebec nation. [16]

Current movements

For past movements see list of historical autonomist and secessionist movements and lists of decolonized nations. This is a list of historical autonomist and Secessionist movements around the world Decolonization refers to the undoing of Colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction Also see list of autonomous areas by country and list of territorial autonomies and list of active autonomist and secessionist movements. ||-||}This list of Autonomous areas arranged by country gives an overview of autonomous areas of the world Territorial autonomy is a defined part of the state's territory that is authorized to govern itself manage certain matters handed over to its competence This is a list of currently active autonomist and Secessionist movements around the world

Australia

Main article: Self-determination of Australian Aborigines

Recently (2003 onwards), self-determination has become the topic of some debate in Australia in relation to Aborigines (indigenous Australians). The concept of Self-determination has since 2003 become a topic of some debate in Australia in relation to Aboriginals ( Indigenous Australians In the 1970s, the Aboriginal community approached the Federal Government and requested the right to administer their own communities. This encompassed basic local government functions, ranging from land dealings and management of community centres to road maintenance and garbage collection, as well as setting education programmes and standards in their local schools.

Israel and Palestine

Main article: Israel-Palestine conflict

The right to self-determination as outlined in public international law is often referenced by both sides in the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict. Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of States and Intergovernmental organizations. Palestinians assert a nationalist right to self-determination that they argue is hindered by Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn Israel was, in turn, formed under the right to self-determination as outlined in the U. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. N. Charter. Its declaration of independence notes that "This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their State is irrevocable", and that "This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State. "

Jordan occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem (including the Old City) and Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip from 1949 through 1967. The West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied by Jordan (formerly Transjordan) for a period of nearly two decades (1948&ndash1967 starting The Old City (העיר העתיקה HaIr HaAtika, البلدة القديمة al-Balda al-Qadimah) is a 0 Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt: 1947 - October 1956 March 1957 - June 1967 Throughout those years, the King of Jordan had annexed the West Bank, providing its residents with citizenship, but not with the right of mobility across the Jordan River. The king forbade the use of the word "Palestine" on official documents. The Jordanian position on this was that historically the East and West banks had been one cultural entity and thus one nationality, though Palestinians dispute this. This led to open fighting between Palestinian refugees and the Jordanian government in 1970. However, in 1988, the Jordanian government relinquished its claim to the West Bank. Egypt never annexed the Gaza Strip, and denied its residents citizenship and did not allow its residents to move into Egypt or anywhere else. Despite this, Egypt was not subject to a rebellion. In fact, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was created in 1964 by the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt, and was controlled in large part by the Egyptian government. The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) (منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية or Munazzamat al-Tahrir al-Filastiniyyah) is a political and paramilitary The Arab League ( الجامعة العربية) officially called the League of Arab States ( جامعة الدول العربية Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Neither country attempted to relieve the refugee crisis, although Jordan did alleviate this somewhat by granting Palestinians citizenship, and neither allowed, to different extents, self-determination in these territories.

The PLO stated its goal to be the destruction of the State of Israel through armed struggle and replacing it with an "independent Palestinian state" between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia Israelis argue this would deny self-determination to the millions of Israelis now living there. Today, certain factions of the PLO, including some representatives from its dominant Fatah party, agree that Palestinian self-determination and Jewish self-determination need not be mutually exclusive. However, Hamas, which was elected to a majority of parliamentary seats in Palestinian elections and is the disputed but de facto government in the Gaza Strip, continues to call for the destruction of Israel.

Kosovo

Further information: Kosovo status process

The province of Serbia, is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian (and previously, the Yugoslav) government and Kosovo's largely ethnic-Albanian population. During and after the breakup of Yugoslavia there were increasing ethnic and regional conflicts culminating in the Kosovo War of 1999 Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian In 1990 Serbia's president Slobodan Milošević crushed an attempt for independence. Following the Kosovo war in which Serbian forces committed large scale human rights violations against the majority Kosovo Albanians sought independence from Serbia on the grounds of self-determination. The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 Albanians are the majority in Serbian muncipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac and a significant minority in Medvedja. Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo which were ultimately unsuccessful. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

On 17 February 2008, 109 members (10 members including all Kosovo Serbs were absent) of the Kosovo Assembly voted unanimously for a unilateral declaration of independence limited to the principles outlined by the Ahtisaari plan. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo (Kuvendi i Kosovës Скупштина Косова Skupština Kosova) is an institution within the Provisional Institutions Serbia responded immediately by rejecting the decision. See the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence. The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was an act of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government Assembly of Kosovo, adopted on 17 February 2008 which declared

Kurdistan

Kurdistan is the land of the Kurdish people of the middle east. History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes The territory is currently part of 4 states Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. There are Kurdish self determination movements in each of the 4 states. Iraqi Kurdistan has to date achieved the largest degree of self-determination through the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government, an entity recognised by the Iraqi Federal Constitution. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG ( Kurdish: حكومه تى هه ريمى كوردستان Hikûmetî Herêmî Kurdistan,) is the official ruling body

The right of the creation of a Kurdish state was recognised following world war I in the Treaty of Versailles, however the treaty was negated by force on behalf of the newly created Republic of Turkey. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. To date two separate Kurdish republics and one Kurdish Kingdom have declared sovereignty. The republic of Ararat (Northern Kurdistan/Eastern Turkey), the Republic of Mehabad (Eastern Kurdistan/Iranian Kurdistan) and the Kingdom of Kurdistan (Southern Kurdistan/Northern Iraq), each of these fledgling states was crushed by military intervention. The Republic of Mahabad ( Kurdish: Komarî Mehabad, Persian: جمهوری مهاباد) officially known as Republic of Kurdistan and established The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan which currently holds the Iraqi presidency and the Kurdistan democratic Party which governs the Kurdistan Regional Government both explicitly commit themselves to the development of Kurdish self determination. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK (est 1975 (یەکیتیا نیشتمانیا کوردستان is a Kurdish Political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG ( Kurdish: حكومه تى هه ريمى كوردستان Hikûmetî Herêmî Kurdistan,) is the official ruling body

Jammu and Kashmir

Main articles: Kashmir Conflict and Terrorism in Kashmir

Insurgent groups in Indian-controlled Kashmir (the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir) such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen are currently trying to seek full independence for the whole region from India on the claim of its right to self-determination as an Islamic state. The Kashmir conflict refers to the Territorial dispute between Violence in Kashmir has existed in various forms mainly in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian side of the disputed territory Violence in Kashmir has existed in various forms mainly in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian side of the disputed territory ( Dogri: जम्मू और कश्मीर Urdu: جموں و کشمیر is the northernmost state of India. ( Dogri: जम्मू और कश्मीर Urdu: جموں و کشمیر is the northernmost state of India. Lashkar-e-Taiba ( Urdu: لشكرِ طيبه laškar-ĕ ṯaiyyiba, literally Army of the Pure, also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba Hizbul Mujahideen ( حزب المجاھدین) (literally Party of Freedom Fighters) is a group of Kashmiri militants based in Pakistan and Pakistan administered Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Islamic Republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mauritania Both the insurgents and the Indian armed forces stand accused of human rights violations, with some insurgent groups conducting a policy of ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Kashmir, and the Indian army being accused of violating human rights of ordinary citizens of Kashmir. Ethnic cleansing is a Euphemism referring to the persecution through imprisonment expulsion or killing of members of an ethnic minority by a majority to achieve ethnic homogeneity A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical [21]

Taiwan

Main article: Political Status of Taiwan

Taiwan is the focus of a self-determination dispute in the East Asia region. The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, including the Pescadores (Penghu should remain effectively independent as territory The government of the People's Republic of China claims the entirety of Taiwan as its territory. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES However, Taiwanese independence advocates argue that there is no legal claim to Taiwan, as no legally binding treaty ever transferred sovereignty to China following World War II, an assertion that both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China disagree with. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES At the same time, the de facto government of Taiwan, the Republic of China still has not formally withdrawn its claims to the mainland and several other areas. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES In practice, however, this claim essentially died off through the 1990s and is no longer pressed by Taiwan's elected government.

Turkish Cypriots

Main article: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Since 1974, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state recognized by Turkey only, has been governing the northern part of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ( TRNC) (Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti KKTC) commonly called Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kıbrıs though its The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ( TRNC) (Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti KKTC) commonly called Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kıbrıs though its Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches [22] The Turkish Cypriot community claimed a right of self-determination in ending their partnership with the Greek Cypriots in the Republic of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots ( Turkish: Kıbrıs Türkleri or Kıbrıslı Türkler Greek: Τουρκοκύπριοι are the ethnically Turkish inhabitants of the Greek Cypriots ( Greek: Ελληνοκύπριοι Turkish: Kıbrıslı Rumlar are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía [23]

United States

The colonization of the North American continent and its Native American population has been the source of legal battles since the early 1800s. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The westward push of European-American settlers brought about significant changes to Native American cultures, and those that remained were resettled to separate tracts of land (reservations). An Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American Tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau These had been given a certain degree of autonomy, within the United States federal government, which allows for their exclusion from various national legal restrictions. Autonomy ( Greek: Auto- Nomos - nomos meaning "law" one who gives oneself his/her own Law) is the right to Self-government

Another group of people affected by the westward expansion of the European-Americans were Mexicans and their present descendants the Chicanos. Mostly of Native American and Mestizo descent, these people lay claim to the "stolen" territories of the U. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin S. Southwest, most notably California, Arizona, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. These movements name this area "Aztlan" after the legendary homeland of the Mexica (Aztec), or refer to it as "Occupied Mexico. " They hold that the U. S. -Mexico Border is an apartheid border and that recent migrants from Mexico and Latin America are only following ancient migratory patterns of their Native American ancestors. In fact Mexico was defeated militarily by the U. S. in the Mexican-American War and this territory was ceded to the U. S. under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

There is an active Hawaiian sovereignty movement which aims at rectifying the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in the late 19th century which resulted in the incorporation of Hawai'i into the United States. The Hawaiian sovereignty movement (ke ea Hawai‘i consists of organizations and individuals seeking some form of sovereignty for Hawai'i The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the They hold that self-determination was never granted to native Hawaiians after the overthrow, and thus a large measure of autonomy or independence should be granted to Hawaii. Opponents allege that this would violate the self-determination rights of the non-Hawaiian majority living in Hawaii now.

Since 1972, the U. N. Decolonization Committee has called for Puerto Rico's decolonization and for the U. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} S. to recognize the island's right to self-determination and independence. Most recently, the Decolonization Subcommittee called for the United Nations General Assembly to review the political status of Puerto Rico, a power reserved by the 1953 Resolution. Membership For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly see General Assembly members [24] In 1967, the Legislative Assembly tested the political interests of the Puerto Rican people by passing a plebiscite Act that provided for a vote on the status of Puerto Rico. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita This constituted the first plebiscite by the Legislature for a choice on three status options (continued Commonwealth, statehood, and independence). The Commonwealth option, represented by the PDP, won with a majority of 60. 4% of the votes. After the plebiscite, efforts in the 1970s to enact legislation to address the status issue died in Congressional committees. In subsequent plebiscites on 1993 and 1998 the status quo was upheld. [25]

See also

References

  1. ^ Merriam-Webster online dictionary; Wordnet.Princeton definition; Answers.com definition. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Ethnic nationalism is a form of Nationalism wherein the " Nation " is defined in terms of Ethnicity. Identity politics is Political action to advance the interests of members of a group whose members are oppressed by virtue of a shared and marginalized Identity (such International relations theory attempts to provide a conceptual model upon which international relations can be analyzed For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy Non-intervention is the norm in International relations that one State cannot interfere in the internal politics of another state based upon the principles Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity The Anglo-French Declaration was signed between France and Great Britain on November 7 1918 agreeing to implement a "complete and final Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Wars of national liberation are conflicts fought by indigenous military groups against an imperial power in the name of Self-determination, thus attempting The political movement for Puerto Rican Independence ( Lucha por la Independencia Puertorriqueña) has existed since the mid-19th century and has advocated Independence Self-ownership (or sovereignty of the individual, individual sovereignty or individual autonomy) is the moral or natural right (aka Freedom of a person Individualist anarchism refers to any of several traditions that hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective National delimitation (or nation-building in the Soviet Union refers to the process of creating well-defined nations from the ethnic diversity of the Soviet Union and the corresponding
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Betty Miller Unterberger, Self-Determination, Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy, 2002.
  3. ^ Chimène Keitner, Oxford University, Self-Determination: The Legacy of the French Revolution, paper presented at International Studies Association Annual Meeting, March 2000. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the
  4. ^ Self-Determination Not a New Expedient; First Plebiscite Was Held in Avignon During the French Revolution—Forthcoming Book Traces History and Growth of the Movement, New York Times, July 20, 1919, 69. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
  5. ^ "What Is Meant By The Self-Determination of Nations?"
  6. ^ a b Murray N. Rothbard, National Self-Determination, Rothbard Archives at Lewrockwell.com, August, 1990. Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2 1926 – January 7 1995 was an American economist of the Austrian School who helped define modern Libertarianism LewRockwellcom (LRC is a widely read 501(c(4 Anarcho-capitalist and Paleolibertarian web magazine operated by Burton Blumert (publisher
  7. ^ United Nations Charter
  8. ^ Text of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  9. ^ Text of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  10. ^ a b Paul R. Hensel and Michael E. Allison, Department of Political Science Florida State University and Ahmed Khanani, Department of Political Science, Indiana University, The Colonial Legacy and Border Stability: Uti Possidetis and Territorial Claims in the Americas, research paper at Paul Hensel’s Florida State university web site. Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee Indiana University, founded in 1820, is a nine-campus University system in the state of Indiana.
  11. ^ a b c d e Vita Gudeleviciute, Does the Principle of Self-determination Prevail over the Principle of Territorial Integrity?, International Journal of Baltic Law, Vytautas Magnus University School of Law, Volume 2, No. Vytautas Magnus University (VMU (Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas(VDU is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. 2 (April, 2005).
  12. ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514(XV). "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples"
  13. ^ Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
  14. ^ Martin Griffiths, Self-determination, International Society And World Order, Macquarie University Law Journal, 1, 2003. Macquarie University is an Australian public University located in Sydney.
  15. ^ United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted by the UN General Assembly Resolution 55/2 (08 09 2000), paragraph 4.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Aleksandar Pavkovic and Peter Radan, In Pursuit of Sovereignty and Self-determination: Peoples, States and Secession in the International Order, Index of papers, Macquerie University Law Journal, 1, 2003.
  17. ^ Aleksandar Pavković, Majority Rule and Equal Rights: a Few Questions, Macquerie University Law Journal, 1, 2003.
  18. ^ Harry Beran, “A Democratic Theory of Political Self-Determination for a New World Order” in Percy Lehning (ed), Theories of Secession (1998) 36, 39, 42-43.
  19. ^ a b c d Andrei Kreptul, The Constitutional Right of Secession in Political Theory and History, Journal of Libertarian Studies, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Volume 17, no. The Journal of Libertarian Studies is a scholarly journal published annually by the Ludwig von Mises Institute and Llewellyn H The Ludwig von Mises Institute ( LvMI) based in Auburn Alabama, is a Libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields 4 (Fall 2003), pp. 39–100.
  20. ^ Xenophon Contiades, Sixth Scholarly Panel: Cultural Identity in the New Europe, 1st Global Conference on Federalism and the Union of European Democracies, March 2004.
  21. ^ Alexander Evans, "A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990–2001," Contemporary South Asia (Volume 11, Number 1, 1 March 2002, pp. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. 19-37)
  22. ^ BBC Timeline: Cyprus, accessed 2-26-2008.
  23. ^ EurActiv.com:Integrating North Cyprus into the EU, accessed 2-26-2008
  24. ^ Special Committee on Decolonization Calls on United States to Expedite Puerto Rico’s Self-determination Process - General Assembly GA/COL/3160 - Department of Public Information - June 14, 2007
  25. ^ For complete statistics of these plebiscites, see Elections in Puerto Rico:Results. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

External links

Books

Dictionary

self-determination

-noun

  1. The ability or right to make your own decisions without interference from others
  2. The political independence of a people
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