StrictConstruct

We all know New Hampshire has its quirks, hell, its the only state constitution in America (or, as far as I know, the Earth) that advocates, and reserves for the people, the right of revolution. Sure, it’s hinted at in our Declaration of independence:

whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government

But few actually advocate or expect such an abolition of the government. Perhaps it would dismay John Locke, but in The United States, issues with national self determination and responsive government have for the most part (Cue Jefferson, or Neo-Confederate emails), been pushed to the fringe. But is this a problem?

Since Wilson, the United States has held steadfast to its principles of spreading democracy, and enforcing the ideal of national self-determination. Though this banner was often unevenly waved, to the dismay of the third world, Europe after World War One (largely) reflected ethnic boundaries and after World War Two, Europe seemed relatively secure, with only the Balkans and Spain (temporarily in stasis under Tito and Franco) brimming with ethnic conflict.

Perhaps, though, we should be asking ourselves; is this too far? In the face of globalization, as national identity is eroded by Anglo-American culture, obscure and resurgent groups of nationalists and those advocating breakaways from states that have ruled them for centuries have been emerging from the woodworks. Basques and Catalonians are classic examples of ongoing ethnic strife, rightly so, as bad blood since the era of Franco and his oppressive language policies have all but destroyed any hopes for long term Spanish unification. As Belgium appears doomed to suffer a similar fate, only Switzerland remains as a multi-lingual nation with a persevering national identity and culture (Interesting, considering its early role in international diplomacy and neutrality).

What is more interesting, however, are the groups that are all but fully assimilated by now, almost manufacturing a national identity that has long since eroded in the face of their occupier. The Celtic nations are a perfect example; though a majority of Welshmen now sport British surnames, the Welsh nationalist party continues to gain ground in their regional and national parliament. Cornwall now seems discontent with British rule, despite hardly being considered “Celtic” for centuries. Scotland, of course, is in the limelight; where the Scottish National Party has fielded enough MP’s in their regional parliament to not only be the leading party, but actually form the (minority) government. For the UK, Scotland serves as an example to Cornwall, Wales, and Northern Ireland, who would all likely fall like dominoes and erode the “United” modifier of the truly English Kingdom.

And this leads me to the crux of the matter, the reason these issues are being brought up on this particular day. A dangerous precedent (though this should not be construed with a negative connotation) is being set in the tiny de-facto independent nation of Kosovo, which is set to officially declare its independence from the already humiliated and isolated (except for Russia) Serbia. There are some (arguably alarmists) who wonder if, should Kosovo secede, would other fringe groups follow or gain strength?

The Basques seem the first, most obvious choice, not being related to the Spaniards as far back as our earliest Indo-European roots. Follow Catalonians, Galicians, and lord knows what would happen to the Spanish state.

Or what of the Sorbs, a germano-slavic speaking people in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic? Or the Circassians, or Chechnyans (Why Putin opposes Kosovo independence), Abkhazia, Brittany, Moldova (well, they are already a state, despite all logic), Trans-Dniester; the list goes on.

And dear Lord, what of the rest of the world? America is seeing the legacy of lackluster post-colonial nation building, with the Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites battling for their own nations in Iraq. Should we support those who would take up the banner of freedom to correct the mistakes of the incompetent Brits and other Europeans, even at the cost of short term instability and, surely, tremendous (Jesus, just glance at Africa) bloodshed?

So, is this a triumph for democracy, has Locke’s vision been served? Or are we taking democracy too far and digging our own graves, promoting violence and frivolous populism? I would tend to side with the former; especially as the power of each individual state is rapidly decreasing in favor of Non-Governmental Organizations, Multi-National Corporations, and International culture. Within Europe, as expected, western culture has for the most part smiled upon each people who seek independence, even if it grumbles at the bureaucratic quagmires building up in the United Nations and the European Union with each new addition.

Unfortunately, there is no standard or clear definition of what defines a distinct “culture”, and more importantly, what requirements should be met before they demand self-governance. At least not on the international level. A simple search on google would make it obvious that there is one document, as previously cited, which does make it clear; our own Declaration of Independence. Before we turn alarmist against growing trends of secession, or fully embrace every nut job who wants his own state of Freedonia, we should ask the following question for each potential state: Does the national government, with the consent of its governed preserve the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and does it fully extend these fundamental rights to all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity?

If these criteria are not met, our founding fathers made it obvious that a state’s citizens, as the Kosovar people have assumed, have the right to revolt or otherwise secede from their mother state. And the validity of the other movements? Well, that would require a dissection and delving into the history of each individual state, and will be saved for another entry and another day.