Applied Secession Theory
Open AccessThe number of secession movements has increased dramatically over the past century. However, insufficient information exists regarding the justifiability of secession, which has limited the efficacy of institutions in responding to these movements. This has led to devastating results for many minority groups around the world. I argue that a justifiable theory of secession, containing extensive requirements, can be developed into a right to secede. There are several competing theories of the right to secede, such as primary rights theories, which include ascriptivist and associative theories, and remedial rights theories, which include a myriad of special circumstances to reconcile human rights violations. The most justifiable version is Allen Buchanan's conception of remedial right theory. However, Buchanan's theory, despite its strengths, lacks adequate emphasis on institutionalizing and enforcing the petitioning process for secessionists. In this thesis, I examine ways that a justifiable right to secede should be institutionalized within individual countries, as well as regional and international organizations. I contend that these institutions have distinct responsibilities in resolving conflicts related to secession. Furthermore, I argue that that a justifiable right to secede ought to be enforceable within regional and international organizations to ensure that states give proper consideration to minority groups whose human rights have been violated. The thesis proceeds by applying my institutionalized, enforceable, remedial right theory to relevant case studies, which include the Chechen Republic and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. These examples clearly demonstrate the need for regional and international organizations to be active in ensuring the fair adjudication of future cases of secession. Because of the magnitude of this problem, it is critical to bridge theory and practice. My goal is to leave readers with rational, tangible action items that are based on substantive research. A justifiable right to secede should be democratically exercised through state constitutions and reasonably mediated and judged by regional and international organizations. The inclusion of a right to secede in these institutions will allow us to better understand secession, respond to future movements, and reduce violent conflicts related to secession.
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