A foreign wind has been blowing through Europe of late, but not the crippling debt crisis that has brought the once-mighty European Union to its knees. No, this gust of popular sentiment has its roots in something far more ancient: Nationalism.
On Oct. 15, in a move that flew under the radar in much of the U.S., Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond signed an agreement with British Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom in 2014 (which is, not coincidentally, the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn which assured Scottish autonomy for 400 years).
It is strange and perhaps uncomfortable to think that one of the great pillars of the Western world, Great Britain, could be on the cusp of dissolving. Yet this development did not occur out of nowhere; Scotland has always had a staunch fringe of tartan-bedecked, bagpipe-playing nationalists. However, it was not until 2011 that the Scottish Nationalist Party achieved a majority in the Scots Parliament, a massive step toward independence.
David Cameron, in his response to the growing separatist stirrings in England’s northern neighbor, has demonstrated remarkable foresight and judiciousness. Though the Prime Minister has made it abundantly clear in his statements on the issue that he opposes Scotland establishing its own nation-state, he has wisely left the decision up to the Scottish people. Such a view demonstrates admirable consideration for the ethnic and cultural character unique to Scotland.
In stark contrast to the British government’s progressive stance stands Spain, a country that, compared to the U.K., is a virtual paragon of ethno-linguistic diversity. The separatist movements in Spain are many and long-standing, but, like their ilk in Scotland, they have been growing in regional and national prominence over the past few years. In the far northwest of the country, the Basques, a ruggedly individual people spread over a mountainous land, have been struggling for independence from Spain for as long as Spain itself has existed.
During Fascist dictator Francisco Franco’s rule from 1936 to 1975, violence conducted by the paramilitary organization ETA (which has since ceased all armed activity) served as the Basques’ primary means of struggling against Spain. In 2008, when a referendum on Basque independence was proposed by a coalition of nationalist parties, the Spanish Constitutional Court barred any vote from occurring, demonstrating flagrant disregard for the will of the people.
Yet the controversies in Spain have continued. Catalonia, the country’s richest region, has been suffering disproportionally from Spain’s recent economic troubles, as Catalans pay far more in taxes than they receive back from the Spanish government. Recently, Catalans (who, like Basques, maintain their own language and ethnic identity) have elected a nationalist parliament and president. Polls from the Catalan research group CEO show that 57 percent of inhabitants would support secession from Spain. However, just as in the case of the Basques, the government in Madrid has pledged to shoot down any attempt at a vote on breaking from Spain.
A fundamental truth of democracy holds that the people’s will is the will of the state, and vice versa. By denying the people of the Basque and Catalan regions the right to decide their own political future, Spain is committing an injustice that the international community ought to condemn. The sense of respect with which Cameron has treated the Scottish independence cause is sorely lacking on the Iberian Peninsula.