Secession as Resistance, Resilience and Remedy: Explaining Independence

• In Event: Territorial Disputes

Abstract

Secessionist conflicts not only threaten to disintegrate an existing state but also to destabilize the international system. Why do some, but not all, secessionist conflicts result in the creation and acceptance of independent states? I argue that the ability of secessionist movements to erode the resolve of the incumbent state to hold onto contested territory by mobilizing and maintaining local and international support chiefly explains variation. I develop a typology of support and propose a theory on secession as resistance, resilience and remedy. Differentiating between mobilization on diplomatic, military, and clandestine fronts, I examine how and why secessionist organizations engage with local and international audiences. Drawing on fieldwork, interviews, and archives, I contrast three contemporary cases (East Timor, Kosovo, and Sri Lanka) to identify a set of conditions associated with the outcome of independence and analyze their underlying causal mechanisms. Part of a broader research agenda that cuts across comparative politics, international relations and international law, the findings of this paper speak to the study of social movements as well as civil wars.

Author

• Mayesha Alam, Yale University