Strategies of Secession and Counter-Secession

One of the tensions at the heart of international law is that between the norms of sovereignty and self-determination. Griffiths (Syracuse Univ.) and Muro (Univ. of St. Andrews, UK) have assembled a collection that explores "what leads to success when a territory or people attempts to secede and what accounts for the very low probability of success." The essays examine dynamics between states in the international realm and between governments and their people. Electoral strategies, universal declarations, protest movements, demonstrations, and violent uprisings are looked at both theoretically and in the context of specific case studies, as movements appeal to popular, governmental, and international actors for recognition. States, for their part, play a game of blocking in both domestic and international realms. In the end success is extremely rare and seems to honor no general formulas. Cases examined range both temporally and geographically: Europe (Flanders, Scotland, Catalonia, Kosovo), North America (Québec), Asia (Bangladesh, Abkhazia, East Timor, Aceh, and West Papua), and Africa (Somaliland) all factor in comparative analysis. Relevant for theorists and empiricists, this volume prepares the ground for future work. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. -- 'Choice Reviews'

Strategies of Secession and Counter-Secession gathers experts with diverse theoretical and empirical perspectives to examine the interaction between secessionists and states. The resulting volume offers both theoretical originality and excellent case studies and succeeds in integrating the often disparate literatures on de facto states, secessionist political parties and secessionist civil wars. A timely resource that deserves a wide audience. -- Nina Caspersen, University of York

Strategies of Secession and Counter-Secession offers an insightful look into one of the most challenging political phenomena of our time--the global spread of secessionist challenges. This comprehensive volume moves beyond a simple analysis of secession movements, including novel approaches to secession claims, in-depth studies of state-led counter secession tactics, and analysis of global and regional dynamics of secession challenges. -- Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham, University of Maryland

From Scotland to South Sudan, movements are aspiring to independence - and governments are trying to stop them. This collection of essays edited by Ryan D. Griffiths and Diego Muro breaks new ground by considering both sides of the argument. Combining, law, international relations and comparative political science, the book is a most valuable primer for anyone interested in the struggle to create new states - and in the politics of maintaining territorial unity. -- Matt Qvortrup, Coventry University

The often intense diplomatic battles between states and secessionist territories over independence and recognition is of increasing interest to academics and policy makers alike. This impressive and wide-ranging volume showcases some of the latest thinking on the subject from leading names in the field as well as up and coming scholars. -- James Ker-Lindsay, London School of Economics

Ryan D Griffiths is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. He has held previous posts at the University of Sydney, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and the Barcelona Institute for International Studies (IBEI). He completed his PhD at Columbia University in 2010. His research focuses on sovereignty, international order, and the dynamics of secession. He is the author of Age of Secession: The International and Domestic Determinants of State Birth (Cambridge University Press, 2016). He has published articles in various journals including International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, and Security Studies.