71
votes
Is there any way for a country to get separated peacefully?
There is one good example of a peaceful separation of a state, and that is the "Velvet Divorce" where Czechoslovakia split into Czechia and Slovakia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
- 14.1k
69
votes
Accepted
Why do some countries allow their states to secede through legal means?
Avoidance of conflict.
By allowing for a constitutional method for a region to leave a union, one avoids extraconstitutional methods: civil war.
- 124k
63
votes
Explain for kids — Why isn't Northern Ireland demanding a stay/leave referendum like Scotland?
Scotland
In Scotland, the SNP wants to hold a referendum and change people's minds to their side. In Scotland we don't know who would win a referendum now. Perhaps the SNP would convince a majority ...
- 124k
61
votes
Would the rest of the UK lose anything more than honor if Scotland exits the UK?
The Scottish government's 2013 white paper on independence - Scotland's Future - sets out a number of tangible assets that, the paper argues, Scotland would be entitled to a proportion of based on ...
CDJB♦
- 108k
47
votes
What can Scotland legally do to get independence?
There is no formalised way for Scotland to leave the UK so for that to happen Parliament would have to agree because that is the supreme legislative body of the UK (Scotland has its own devolved ...
- 2,747
42
votes
Accepted
Do any countries have a procedure that allows a constituent part of that country to become independent unilaterally?
According to the The Ashgate Research Companion to Secession
only 7 countries out of 89 surveyed had any explicit provisions for secession in their constitution: Austria, Ethiopia, France (overseas ...
42
votes
What's the difference between declaring sovereignty and declaring independence?
Sovereignty means the right to self-rule. Independence means the right to sole rule. A state can have sovereignty within its borders but still be part of a larger union: e.g., the states of the USA, ...
- 73.6k
38
votes
Do separatist nations inherit any national debt?
It would be a matter for discussion.
When the Soviet Union broke up, Russia accepted the full foreign debt of the Soviet Union. This was restructured by the "Paris Club", and left Russia ...
- 124k
31
votes
Accepted
Can Catalonia enter the EU after its independence from Spain?
To be allowed to apply to join the EU, Catalonia as an independent nation must be able to demonstrate they meet the Copenhagen Criteria which are defined as follows
Political criteria:
Stability ...
- 8,457
31
votes
Why do some countries allow their states to secede through legal means?
The question implicitly assumes that a territory seceding from a country must be a loss for the country, and therefore that a country should avoid any risk of this happening.
This would be true from ...
- 18k
30
votes
Accepted
Why do some Catalans want to become independent?
What has changed lately to increase their desire to be independent?
This isn't actually how separatism works. It's not that they want independence now more than they did, say, fifty years ago. It's ...
- 90.1k
30
votes
Accepted
If Taiwan declares independence, would that mean they are relinquishing their claim over mainland China?
Let me first address the incorrect picture of the cross-strait relations that underlies your question.
You assume that there are actual, realistic claims to mainland China. Let me put this straight: ...
- 2,446
29
votes
Can a US state opt to become a territory without leaving the nation as a whole?
The "advantages" of being a territory are meager at best, and countermanded by a serious overriding problem: You have to follow federal law, but you have no say in what that law says. You ...
- 9,443
27
votes
Accepted
Would Article 5 of NATO apply in case Catalonia attempts to secede from Spain by force?
No, internal conflicts and secession attempts do not qualify as “armed attacks” under the North Atlantic Treaty (itself based on the UN charter, article 51, which only covers actions between states). ...
- 5,772
27
votes
Do any countries have a procedure that allows a constituent part of that country to become independent unilaterally?
The Good Friday Agreement, between the UK and Ireland provides for a non-violent route to the North of Ireland to become part of a united Ireland.
It sets up conditions under which referendums must ...
- 124k
26
votes
Why do some countries allow their states to secede through legal means?
In order to get them in in the first place.
Independent states may be more willing to enter the union if they have a way back. As with any decision, not all effects are predictable.
- 6,435
26
votes
Accepted
Can Scotland hold an informal independence opinion-poll without Westminster's consent?
There would be a few issues with this approach. Firstly, back in 2012, the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution looked at this very argument, and concluded that even an 'opinion-poll' ...
CDJB♦
- 108k
25
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between declaring sovereignty and declaring independence?
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is a slippery term that has evolved over the centuries. The modern meaning traces back to the end of the Thirty Years War and the Peace of Westphalia known as Westphalian ...
- 5,262
24
votes
Why doesn't Russia recognize Kosovo if it uses the Kosovo precedent to justify annexing Crimea?
The Crimean declaration of independence is to the benefit of Russia.
The Kosovan declaration of independence is to the detriment of Russia's ally, Serbia.
So Russia chooses to recognise the former, ...
- 124k
21
votes
Accepted
Is it legal to campaign for county independence in England?
Yes, it is legal to call for secession. This really a legal question rather than a political one. The definition of high treason in the UK is narrow, restricted to waging war, giving aid to the enemy ...
- 2,014
20
votes
Was it illegal for Spain to declare the Catalan independence referendum illegal?
As you correctly state, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights asserts that
Article 1
All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely ...
- 3,625
20
votes
Accepted
Why is a second Scottish referendum proposed?
The 2014 independence referendum was accepted as being a once in a generation referendum, unless there was a "material change of circumstances". The SNP is arguing that Brexit amounts to a ...
- 964
20
votes
Accepted
Can a UK county gain independence?
Not legally, no. Any independence procedure, whether it be through a referendum or simply a grant of independence would have to be agreed on by Parliament.
In the case of Scotland, the competence to ...
CDJB♦
- 108k
20
votes
What does Kosovo need to do in order to become a fully independent country?
The relevant Wikipedia articles are:
Kosovo
International recognition of Kosovo
Political status of Kosovo
There are three major points here:
Recognition by the other states
Although 97 states have ...
- 24.7k
18
votes
What other European countries are experiencing independence movements?
The current vitality of independent movements is greatly exaggerated. You cannot assume that opinion polls and speaking about independence are the same thing as actually trying to get independence. ...
- 2,534
18
votes
Accepted
Can a US state opt to become a territory without leaving the nation as a whole?
Here's what the Constitution says about territorial changes and states:
(Article IV, Section 3, emphasis mine)
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new
States shall be ...
- 14.6k
17
votes
Would Article 5 of NATO apply in case Catalonia attempts to secede from Spain by force?
The treaty is geared towards international threats, so that would be unlikely.
It could theoretically trigger article 4 of the treaty. The latter states that:
The Parties will consult together ...
- 30.8k
17
votes
What are the steps to become an independent country once independence has been declared?
Adding an important caveat to what Ryathal said:
The only thing that really matters is sovereignty over the land you claim as your country. International recognition is just something that helps ...
- 10.5k
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