UNDERSTANDING SELF-DETERMINATION

1. UNDERSTANDING SELF-DETERMINATION ISSUE: How is national self-determination pursued? Questions: What is self-determination? Why do nations pursue self-determination? How do people pursue self-determination within a nation-state? What are the impacts of pursuing self-determination?

2. Why do nations pursue self-determination? • Depending on the needs and the goals of a nation, the results of pursuing self-determination can be very similar yet diverse. • Autonomy • refers to one's own self-governance • Self-government • control of the government of a state, community, or other body by its own members; democratic government. • Independence • freedom from reliance on, or control by, others; self-subsistence or maintenance; direction of one's own affairs without interference. • Sovereignty • A nation or state's supreme power within its borders; recognized by other nation-states • Nation to Statehood • The status of being a nation-state rather than being a territory or dependency.

3. What is self-determination? • Self-determination: • is the right of allowing people to determine their own destiny • a nation can choose its own political status and determine its • economic, cultural and social development • Forms of Self-determination: • self-determination has different meanings for different nations • forms for achieving self-determination include • War • Revolution • Decolonization • Successor states • Referendum • Third-party process

4. Decolonization • Decolonization: • Achievement of self-determination when a nation grants independence to their colonies • India/Pakistan: Kashmir In 1947, the jewel of the British Empire, India, was granted independence. The nation was divided along religious lines and two nations were born (partitioning) – India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim). Partition left 10 million people uprooted and more than half a million Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus dead in riots and massacres. Sixty years on, the status of Kashmir remains unresolved despite a tenuous peace process between India and Pakistan, following three wars. Unrest continues to surface from time to time in both countries, including the threat of nuclear weapons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzI34ltZdWg

5. Mahatma Gandhi • Political and spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement. • Urged Indians to resist British rule through non-violent civil disobedience • Although he supported independence for India, he opposed he partitioning of India. (read pg. 207) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-BzMayiGCw • Just think about it: • “If the outcome of self-determination creates hardship for a nation, should it still be pursued?”

6. Decolonization Mozambique: Mozambique became independent from Portugal on June 25, 1975. A political coup in Portugal resulted in a foreign policy of decolonization. Even those countries with little interest in decolonization (Mozambique) were cut free. Self-determination was thrust upon the Mozambique people. Portugal's policy of under-developing its colonies along with the rapid exodus of Portuguese settlers (90%) left Mozambique politically and economically unstable. With no transitional government established a long civil war broke out.(1975-1992) 1 million Mozambicans died and another 1.7 million became refugees. 30 years after achieving self-determination, the country is still struggling with economic and social problems that threaten its stability.

7. Questions: Question 1: How is Mozambique’s independence different from Indian independence? Question 2: Is it acceptable to remain a colony if doing so provides a higher standard of living? Question 3: Is attaining self-determination the ultimate goal, even if it results in greater hardships (politically, economically, socially) for most of the people?

8. Successor States • Successor State: • A successor state is a state that takes over some or all of the territory, assets, treaty obligations and rights from a previously well-established state (the predecessor state). • For example: • When the former Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) broke up in the early 1990’s, 15 Soviet republics declared themselves new independent states. Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Estonia Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Moldova Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan

9. Successor States Ukraine: • Ukraine gained its independence August, 1991. • Self-determination offered Ukraine opportunity for/to • regain its culture • political sovereignty • financial independence • second largest military in Europe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZB9ZHmtuIo

10. Successor States Chechnya: Chechnya is a region located within the nation-state of Russia who declared its sovereignty in 1991. Russia argued that Chechnya had not been an independent entity within the Soviet Union but was part of the Russian Federation and hence did not have a right under the Soviet constitution to secede. Russia rejected this claim of independence and in 1994 invaded Chechnya to assert Russia’s claim and dominance over the territory. The Russian army withdrew in 1996 but invaded again in 1999-2000. Much better organized and planned than the first Chechen War, the military actions by the Russian Federal forces enabled them to re-establish control over most regions. Russia was successful in installing a pro-Moscow Chechen regime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JNEVvo98RI

11. Successor States Kosovo: Kosovo, an impoverished land with a mainly Albanian population, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, after years of strained relations between its Serb and Albanian inhabitants Kosovo immediately won recognition from the United States, major European Union countries and Canada. But Serbia, with the help of its big-power ally Russia, has vowed to block Kosovo from getting a United Nations seat After the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia responded to separatist pressure from Kosovo by launching a brutal crackdown on the territory's Albanian population, which was only brought to an end by NATO military intervention in 1999 Until 2008 the province was administered by the UN. Reconciliation between the majority Albanians, most of whom support independence, and the Serb minority remains elusive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulPsNrMMZ3E

12. What is the message of this cartoon? Quebec could point out that Kosovo never even held a referendum in advance of declaring its independence. Its leaders could ask: Why must we not only hold a referendum but also allow the House of Commons to approve the referendum question and certify that the referendum result constituted a clear vote for independence? The Kosovo precedent also undermines the notion that Quebec must seriously negotiate its separation from Canada…

13. Referendum • Referendum: • is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. Quebec: Referendums were held in both 1980 and 1995 on Quebec sovereignty but on both occasions the populace voted “NO”. East Timor: While the history between Quebec and East Timor is very different both attempted independence through a referendum (a vote). In East Timor the vote was for the “YES”. East Timor gained its independence from Indonesia on May 20, 2002.

14. Third Party Involvement • Third party involvement utilizes… • Negotiation • Dialogue • Creation of legal agreements by consensus • An international body such as • The United Nations • International Court of Justice • acts as a mediator between the two sides of the issue.