August 27, 2010
Giving legality to independence of Kosovo, the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) has opened a
Pandora’s box, encouraging secessionists around the
world in creating new, self-proclaimed states.
Kosovo could be a trigger for potential
disintegration of over 100 countries .
Kosovo, a southern part of Serbia, declared
self-independence on February 2008. Referring to UN
Resolution 1244 that reaffirm the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Serbia, all efforts of
Serbian authorities to prevent the losing of
sovereign territory, definitely failed on July 22
after International Courte of Justice (ICJ)
concluded that “the adoption of the declaration of
independence... did not violate any applicable rule
of international law”.
While Kosovo Albanians celebrated political victory
with champagne, Serbian president Boris Tadic
rejected the ICJ verdict, warning that the Court’s
opinion “establishes a new principle, an entire
process of creating new states that could
destabilize many regions of the world."
Facing their own separatists who have been trying
for a years to establish numerous independent
territories Russia, China, Spain, Slovakia, Romania,
Moldova, Iran, Cyprus, Bosnia, Belarus, Azerbaijan
supported Serbian leader.
Having in a view a fact that over 100 countries are
suffering the chronic problem of potential
territorial disintegration, Kosovo could be a
trigger for a “tsunami of secessionism” changing the
existing map of the world.
According to Montevideo Convention of 1933 one
country could be unilaterally or collectively
recognised if it possesses “a permanent population,
defined territory, a government that is in effective
control of its territory and independent of any
other authority and a capacity to enter into
relations with other States”.
It is sufficient to analyse the political situation
in 69 countries that have formally recognised Kosovo
to be clear that majority of them could experience
the Serbian fate in near or distant future due to
the secessionist problems they have “pushed under
the carpet” for decades.
USA secessionist movements are very persistent in
idea to “dismember” the most powerful world’s
country to the smallest independent regions. The
leading U.S separatist organisation and parties
pretend in establishing 14 new independent states:
Alaska, Republic of Lakotah, Republic of New Afrika,
People's Republic of the North Star, New York State
, Independent Long Island, Oklahoma, Cascadia,
Northwest American Republic, Confederate States of
America, South Carolina, Republic of Texas, Green
Mountain Republic of Vermont, Hawaii. Less
influential groups seek to set aside dozens of
almost negligible counties as autonomous and
independent mini-states such as Martha's Vineyard
and Nantucket that tried unsuccessfully to secede
from Massachusetts and USA in 1977. From 1850 up to
now there have been 27 various attempts for
partition of California. The three most persistent
ethnic groups that advocate the USA secessionism are
Afro Americans, Native Americans (originated from
different Indians tribes) and white Anglo-Saxon
ethnic group.
Canada could be disintegrated into 6 new countries:
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Western Canada,
Manitoba and federation British Colombia and Yukon.
The Clarity Act issued in 2000 enables provinces to
legally secede from Canada if they meet the rules
defined by the law.
United Kingdom has all chances to collapse like a
house of cards on Cornwall, England, Gibraltar,
Guernsey, Isle of Man, Scotland, Shetland, Wales,
Wessex and Northern Ireland. Ireland Republican Army
(IRA) as the most militant secessionist movements
have traditionally practiced bombings,
assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, and
robberies in battle for independence of Northern
Ireland rightly called British Kosovo. In attempts
to separate Scotland from the United Kingdom a
militant group Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA)
using also very aggressive methods including brutal
tactics like sending bottles of vodka contaminated
with caustic soda to English people. British
over-seas territories in Caribbean archipelago (Anguilla,
Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat Turks and Caicos
Islands)and African island Saint Helena also express
political tendency to be independent countries after
centuries of British protectorate rule.
Italy could be “cut” like a “pizza” in 17
independent “pieces” : Padania, Aosta Valley,
Piedmont, Lombardy, Insubria, Trentino, South Tyrol,
Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Emilia,
Romagna, Tuscany , Marche, Umbria, Sicily, Southern
Italy and Sardinia.
Very strong French secessionist movements, a mixture
of political parties, pressure groups, trade unions,
young pressure groups and military groups dream
about a partitioned France into ten, new,
independent territories: Brittany, Normandy, Basque,
Alsez-Lorraine, Nice, North CataloniaCatalonia,
Savoy, Occitania and French Flanders and Corsica.
The National Liberation Front of Corsica has been
practicing a very violent campaign since the 1970s
including bombings and assassination that certainly
influenced the decision of French government, in
2000, to grant increased autonomy to this island,
primarily right on the own language Corsu. French
overseas countries Mayotte, French Guyana,
Guadeloupe, Martinique French Polynesia and New
Caledonia also seek independence.
Belgium nationalist parties have been endeavouring
for decades to divide Belgium into two new
independent states: Dutch-speaking Flemish Republic
and French-speaking Wallonia. Left-wing Frisian
National Party advocates for autonomy of
Netherland’s region Frisia insisting on the own
government, Frisian language and, before all, on
control over Frisian gas reserves. Independent
Frisia would be extended from the north-western
Netherlands across north-western Germany to the
border of Denmark. Netherland overseas territories
Aruba, Netherlands Antilles and Saint Maarten seek
own sovereignty.
Germany’s sore point is Bavaria while Portugal’s
Democratic Party of Atlantic promotes autonomy for
the exotic Azores following the case of Bermuda
Islands, British overseas territory, Aruba,
Netherlands Antilles and Saint Maarten hose Premier
in 2004 announced the formation of Bermuda
Independence Commission while considering the
potential of cutting ties with the British Crown.
Switzerland, one of the most economically stable
country in world and one of the first who recognised
Kosovo due to strong influence of Albanian lobby in
“ country of chocolate”, seriously faces the
potential separations of cantons Jura, Roman and
Ticino for decades now.
Inhabitants of Silesia, historical region of Central
Europe located in parts of Poland, Czech Republic
and Germany seeks the independent country primarily
due to nature underground wealth such as large
stores of coal, iron, zinc, lead, silver, copper,
cobalt, arsenic, the rarer metal cadmium, alum,
brown coal, marble, and commoner precious stones,
jaspers, agates and amethyst . They also insist on
recognition of the Silesian language.
As Kosovo did not satisfy the Albanian political
appetite, the Albanian nationalists, who proudly
call themselves “irredentists” continue working on
establishing the Greater Albania that would
incorporates Republic of Albania ( as
“mother-country”), southern part of Serbia ( Presevo
Valley, Medveda, and Bujanovac) as well as
territories in southern Montenegro, northwestern
Greece (Chameria), and western part of the Republic
of Macedonia known as Illiriyada with administrative
centre in Macedonian city Tetovo, where Albanians
make 70% of total population.
Inuit Radical Party advocates the independence of
Greenland who belongs to Denmark as an
administrative region. In 2009, Denmark Government
made a step forward giving the limited autonomy to
Greenlanders. They got right on self-government of
judicial affairs, policing, and natural resources.
Also, they are recognized as a separate people under
international law. Faroe Islands requests for a
years the separation from the Danish Kingdom.
Finland, whose ex-president Marti Ahtisaari
initiated and supported the independent Kosovo,
within the so-called “Ahtisaari plan” is on the way
to lose the own Kosovo. Swedish secessionist party
"The Future of Åland" tends to separate the Åland
Islands, Finnish administrative area, into an
independent region joining them with the European
Union. Although the Åland, as part of Finland joined
the European Union, its inhabitants have already a
“special status”. They are not subject to the EU tax
system (VAT and taxes on alcohol). Persons who are
not regional citizens are denied the opportunity to
own real estate. They can get citizenship after five
years of residence in Åland after passing the test
in Finnish or Swedish. Members of the Finnish Sami
population living in Finnish area Karelia plan to
reunify with their compatriots in Norway, Sweden and
Russia establishing independent country Sapmi from
the parts of those countries.
Samogitian cultural society, a group interested in
preserving Samogitian culture and language, try to
establish the independent state Samogitia, a region
in north-western Lithuania.
Kurdish people, one of the most numerous ethnic
population without formal and internationally
recognized state, are adherent to the idea of
Kurdistan including parts of Turkey,www.ekurd.netSyria,
Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia in Armenia, Georgia,
Israel, Russia, and Lebanon. Each of these countries
openly feared for their own territorial integrity
taking various type of suppressive measures against
Kurds from prohibition of Kurdish language in Syria
to mass killing by chemical poisoning in Iraq during
the government of Saddam Hussein.
Turkish government rejects any notion of the
existence of Turkish Kurdistan, although this
population is present in even 13 Turkish provinces.
In same time the Turkish government has territorial
claims over the northern part of the island of
Cyprus that is already declared as “de facto
independent state”. In order to avoid military
conflict, the island was divided into two parts,
with the southern part that belonged to the Greeks.
Japan, a homeland of Hisashi Owada, the president of
International Courte of Justice and one of 10 judges
who voted for legality of Kosovo declaration, could
lose even three islands: Ainu, Hokkaido and Okinawa
with Ryukyu Islands under new name Ryukyu Republic.
Two Malaysian regions, Sabah and Sarawak try to
secede from “mother-country”.
Indigenous Maori people seek autonomy in New
Zealand. Same requests have Cook Islands, Niue,
Tokelau. Western Australia wants their own state not
forgetting the referendum from1933 when 68% of the
237,198 voters voted in favour of separation.
Christmas Island and Norflok Islands, as a part of
soverign Australian territory tend to establish
independent states.
Costa Rica, a first country that recognised Kosovo
faces the potential separation of two provinces
Guanacaste and Limon. Colombian separatists dream to
divide this South American country on three
independent territories: Republic of Antioquia,
Autonomous Region Caribbean and region associate of
Raizals Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and
Santa Catalina. Tupac Catary Guerrilla Army have
made several attempts to secede region Arequipa from
Peru and even designed the city's own passport and
flag. Mexican state is at risk to lose the region of
Chiapas, where in 2000, Zapatista National
Liberation Army (EZLN) autotomized a number of
jungle villages. In August 2003, the EZLN self-
declared all Zapatista territory as an autonomous
government independent of the Mexican state.
From the group of 12 Kosovo-friendly African
countries, four of them are on the way to be
disintegrated. Bloody civil war in Somalia started
in 1991 could divide this country into four new
states: State of Southwestern Somalia, States of the
Central Somalia, Republic of Puntland State of
Somalia and Republic of Somaliland. Dominant ethnic
group Diola try to separate Casamance region (part
of Senegal south of tThe Gambia including the
Casamance River). Violent separatist movement is in
bloody conflict with Senegalese government forces
for decades. Southern islands of Maldives are trying
to unite in United Suvadivian Republic while Anjouan
and Moheli want to separate from Comores.
No dilemma: Kosovo is everywhere. It is a question
of time when the “domino effect” will hit the rest
of the planet. But before new Kosovo happened
“masters from the shadow” should recall the Hawar
Archipelago case from 2001. After 200 years of
territorial dispute between Qatar and Bahrain
relating to sovereignty over the Hawar islands, ICJ
found Solomonic solution: between two countries was
set up a new maritime border that satisfied both
sides giving new chance to regional and world peace.
Isn't Hawar's "receipt" an ideal solution for
politically fallen planet?
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