Secession as a concept is regularly scoffed at by most individuals who have wielded power through the years. The general line one hears is, “How could the people possibly keep the peace without rulers deciding things for them?” As the world falls apart more and more thanks to the inept ruling classes, it is becoming clearer to common people that such disdainful rhetoric has no basis in fact. Many people are opening their minds to rediscover a principle which helped give birth to the American nation – that ordinary people can govern themselves. Newcomers to self-determination in the wider world will start exploring how to put their ideas into practice, and they are bound to discover the American founders achieved self-governance with separation from a corrupt system – in a word – secession.
In recent years, not many ordinary people paid attention to secession movements such as Scotland in 2014 or Catalonia in 2017. Today, however, the corruption and hubris of elites has resulted in rapid deterioration of societies across the world. It is motivating people to search for solutions that cut directly to the root of problems which are now becoming quite painful to them. The origin of these pressing problems lies in the political realm, and while ruling classes stifle the traditional avenues of political change, namely elections and electoral opposition, citizens have been forced to look for other means to effectively address the problems. It is this development more than anything else, which is now driving the rising popularity of “secession as a solution.”
Europe
Noteworthy secession movements and overall sentiment for independence are both growing at a rapid pace across the world. Some secession movements have progressed to more advanced stages than others, but they are all on the rise. Across Europe, where citizens are obviously suffering from the failures of elite classes, secession sentiment is rising so fast that, in many cases, the rulers of old empires are being forced to pivot from intimidation to negotiation as their power structures crumble.
In Spain, Catalan independence has undergone a dramatic transformation in fortunes over the last eighteen months. It was an object of mockery for the Elitist classes in January 2023, but their position was reversed upon becoming the “kingmakers” in forming Spain’s new government following the 2023 elections. This resulted in an amnesty law which decriminalized the practice of calling for independence from Spain and gave new life to the Catalan separatist movement. It also seems to have inspired rising support for separatist movements in other parts of Northern Spain such as the Basque Provinces and Galicia.
France also faces a future which seems destined for breakup. After being unceremoniously ousted from it’s position of influence in central Africa, the French elites have tried to keep up the nation’s pose as a player on the world stage, especially in regards to the conflict in Ukraine with their bellicose rhetoric towards Russia. It seems to be an act covering a very fragile domestic situation where protests on multiple issues from farming to immigration have shaken the country to its core. Emboldened, separatists on the island of Corsica have taken this opportunity to force President Macron to the bargaining table to discuss their demands. Meanwhile, separatist movements in Brittany, French Catalonia, and other areas have been revived and will likely be in a position to make similar moves in the near future.
Even the recent historical powerhouses of Europe, Britain and Brussels, are being pulled apart by separatist forces. Brussels, the capitol of the European Union and headquarters of NATO, is facing the prospect of being surrounded by Eurosceptic territory if a local Flemish secession party, seeking independence from both Belgium and the European Union, works it’s way into control in Flanders in the not-too-distant future. Britain’s elites face even more pressure as the last vestige of their larger empire, the British Commonwealth, is headed for dissolution, with multiple Commonwealth nations planning to depart. Within it’s home territory electoral dissatisfaction is rife, and several movements are arising which seek to divide the British Isles into multiple countries. There are discussions about reforming Scottish Nationalism and bringing about a second independence referendum. In Wales, the Welsh nationalist party appears to be rising in electoral momentum and polls are showing growing support for independence which could soon morph into more intense political activism. Voters in Northern Ireland recently brought the Sinn Fein party to power, a party with intentions to negotiate secession from Great Britain and a reunification with the Republic of Ireland. Even in the far north, the Orkney Islands are discussing secession from Britain to either seek independence or to join with a nearby nation.
Africa, Asia, Oceania
The old remnants of colonialism and totalitarianism in Africa, Asia, and Oceania are showing their true natures as their control begins to wane with rising calls for freedom and local governance. Several nations in central Africa seem to be in the process of ridding themselves of the last vestiges of European colonialism. The recent expulsion of French influence from several colonies in the area over the last five years has been a consistent signal of this ongoing trend. In other nations across these three continents, colonial and totalitarian influences are causing an untenable situation for the peoples in their respective territories. This is driving them to seek separation from those powers corrupted by these influences.
In Nigeria a test run of a CBDC program by the Elites failed spectacularly through mass nullification by the Nigerian population. The economic fallout from the CBDC implementation attempt, along with the ongoing violence from the Boko Haram terrorist group (another Western-caused malady), is now driving the people in different parts of Nigeria to seek their own solutions through self-governance. The long-repressed Biafra Independence movement in southeastern Nigeria is beginning to find it’s voice again as they deal with the added burden of discrimination from the national government and it’s dominant factions. Meanwhile the Yoruba peoples of southwestern Nigeria recently took steps to assert their independence, which has left Nigerian politicians in a state of bewilderment as they try to regain control of their country.
Further down the coast in South Africa, the collapsing economy and widespread racial tensions exacerbated by Marxist political parties have created instability. Consequently, many outside the circles of power have been taking matters of peace and self-governance into their own hands. In the Western Cape province, with its distinctly unique culture, racial mix, and economic situation, a movement for independence is rapidly rising in popularity. Its rising popularity has now begun alarming many of the elites holding political power in South Africa, who are resorting to baseless accusations of racism and apartheid to stop them. Northeast of the Cape, the Afrikaner peoples in the community of Orania, are slowly establishing their economic independence from the rest of South Africa’s failing economy. Many see this as a step on the path to establish an independent state for the Afrikaners, who have also been labeled as racists and apartheid sympathizers by elite classes in South Africa.
Across the Indian Ocean in the former Spanish and American colony of the Philippines, a major political crisis is unfolding between two leading political factions within the country. One is beholden to American interests which seek to join in on ratcheting up tensions with China, and the other is seeking to preserve peace by seeking good relations with all its neighbors. With the one faction holding dominance and pursuing the tensions with China, the other has proposed that its main base of support, the island of Mindanao, should secede from the rest of the Philippines and proceed on its own course. While the backlash from many leading politicians in the country has been considerable, the proposal has generated conversation within the country concerning the grievances Mindanao has suffered from other parts of the nation for several years.
Finally, on the neighboring continent of Oceania, two different islands are seeking independence as the solution to problems brought about by outdated political attachments, with a third island weighing it’s options. The island of Bougainville is seeking to resolve a sixty year situation where it’s resources have been exploited and mismanaged by elitist corporatists with no benefit for the people of the island. They are now awaiting final approval of a national divorce agreement in which they would separate from Papua New Guinea and assert control over their own resources for their people’s benefit. Nearby on the island of New Caledonia, rising local agitation for secession has been proving a challenge to the French in their bid to retain control of one of their last colonies. Lastly, the people of the island of Yap, in response to reported neglect from their rulers in the Micronesian government, recently endorsed a ballot measure calling for a re-evaluation of their status, which includes exploring the secession option.
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