(Untitled)

[nwhyte]

In the topsy-turvy world of international relations, one can still sometimes be surprised by the stupidity of the international system.

The UN yesterday approved foreign warships patrolling Somalia's waters in order to crack down on piracy, which is a very real problem. In general, of course, this is a Good Thing

Comments

[inuitmonster]

That peculiar logic of international diplomacy is discouraging secessionists, hardly surprising to anyone who has watched how loth international actors are to recognise secessionist regimes. And then there are the knots they get into to explain why this particular secessionist regime they have eventually decided to recognise is different from all the other chancer would-be countries.

[inuitmonster]

I mean that in a morally neutral sense; there is a part of me that thinks that as states are human-made constructs their populations should be able to carve them up into new human-made constructs at will.

[liberaliser]

Amen to that. I've never honestly understood what all the fuss was about. If the majority of people in a region want to secede, and are willing to protect human rights, minorities, etc, why shouldn't they? I mean, apart from "because then we wouldn't be the government of that place any more", which although understandable as realpolitik, is not really a reason...

[inuitmonster]

I think the logic of anti-secessionism comes from it being very easy to draw a strange border that will give you a secessionist majority in an area.

The thing about secessionists being willing to protect human rights, minorities etc. is a bit problematic... it is easy enough to say you are going to do this, and then institute gulag for Uighurs after a couple of years. They will hardly then be un-seceded.

Somaliland

[anonymous]

The UN is biased and unfair. Somaliland was held hostage to an un-existing nation for 17 years.

I'm sure they will be freed one day where the UN will have no choice but to accept them as a nation.