Wars of secession ‘Secessionism’ is an ethnic group’s desire to form an independent (or at least autonomous) state of their own. Although not all secessionist claims turn violent, secessionism is a factor in the majority of ethnic conflicts and is often ruthlessly suppressed by governments. ‘Irredentism’ is a related form of dispute, in which a region seeks to break away and join a neighbouring state. Secessionism at one level represents a rejection of what is seen by many as the distancing of decision making from local populations, the transfer of power to supranational bodies, and the threat to local identities posed by amorphous world tendencies such as ‘globalization’. Accordingly, secession is not confined to authoritarian regimes but is an active political force in many democracies. This map highlights those countries where secessionists are a significant political force. Many other countries have some regional or sub-national secessionist groups, however minor at present.
Separatist conflicts since 1990 Wars in which secessionism/regionalism (and/or irredentism) is a significant factor include: Abkhazia The text and maps on this page are adapted from Fields of Fire – An Atlas of Ethnic Conflict |
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