Globalization and Separatism: The Influence of Internal and External Interdependence on the Strategies of Separatism
The existence of economic globalization introduces a paradox: secession cannot produce full autonomy in economic matters because states with smaller economies tend to have less policy autonomy. This chapter takes a novel approach to the question of how security and economic factors interact. It examines separatism and the various forms that it takes from a new perspective and hopefully provides new insights into our understanding of the topic. The chapter outlines some of the dangers that globalization poses and the complex effects it has on intrastate conflict and human security. It gives a brief overview of the literature on the economic aspects of intrastate conflict. The chapter presents our core theoretical argument and also a brief analysis of our theory in four case studies: Canada (Quebec)""developed federal state, England (Scotland)""developed unitary state, Nigeria (Biafra)""developing federal state, and Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam )""developing unitary state. Keywords:Biafra; globalization; Quebec; Scotland; separatism; Tamil Eelam