A successful secession: what does it take to secede?

Abstract

ABSTRACT While a number of movements seek state secession, the majority fails to achieve internationally recognized statehood. What accounts for the success of some secessionist movements and the failure of so many? I argue that success has little to do with the legal requirements of statehood or the particular traits of a movement. Rather, it is the politics of regional actors that drive the process. Without the support of regional actors, a secessionist movement will not achieve statehood. The role of regional actors is critical because their proximity positions them: (1) to provide tangible support to the movement; (2) to provide diplomatic support to the movement; (3) and to influence great power policy in the region. I apply this regional framework to an analysis of four secessionist movements across two regions: South Asia and the Horn of Africa. Finally, I discuss the implications of this theory for the independence movement in the Kurdish Region of Iraq.