Secession

On March 06 2013 18:42 Chairman Ray wrote:
Citizens of a country often call for independence when they see a clear cultural rift between themselves and the rest of the country. Although this brings up secession talks to the table, it is not sufficient for secession on its own. A sovereign state has a long list of criteria. Some of these are really obvious things such as having a government and a military. But in order for a part of a country to separate, this list of criteria must be met. Many separatist movements in the past were turned down because they would not be able to form a functioning country. China and Taiwan have a very long history that I don't even know the half of, so I really can't judge if China should give Taiwan independence or not. China's politics are a lot different that western liberal democracies as well, which complicates things. It's perfectly normal for different cultural groups to exist within the same country. It's also perfectly normal to give certain cultural groups some degree of self-governance. For example, here in Canada we give indigenous people a small degree of self-governance. It is a fair compromise because they cannot feasibly form their own country. Another issue with separation is that it is the most obvious solution to many tensions, but not the correct one. Self-governance doesn't address a lot of the root issues that causes these separatist movements. Some issues such as ethnic nationalism have gotten much worse when countries have split apart in the past.

So looking back to the issue of Taiwan and China. Even if most people in Taiwan want to separate, that doesn't mean it should be allowed. In order for independence to be granted, Taiwan must firstly be able to function independently, and also the issues that exist between China and Taiwan have to be fixed by a Taiwan self-governance. I have no idea whether or not Taiwan should separate, but the idea I would like to bring forth is that the issue is far deeper than people wanting it.

On March 06 2013 18:42 Chairman Ray wrote:
Citizens of a country often call for independence when they see a clear cultural rift between themselves and the rest of the country. Although this brings up secession talks to the table, it is not sufficient for secession on its own. A sovereign state has a long list of criteria. Some of these are really obvious things such as having a government and a military. But in order for a part of a country to separate, this list of criteria must be met. Many separatist movements in the past were turned down because they would not be able to form a functioning country. China and Taiwan have a very long history that I don't even know the half of, so I really can't judge if China should give Taiwan independence or not. China's politics are a lot different that western liberal democracies as well, which complicates things. It's perfectly normal for different cultural groups to exist within the same country. It's also perfectly normal to give certain cultural groups some degree of self-governance. For example, here in Canada we give indigenous people a small degree of self-governance. It is a fair compromise because they cannot feasibly form their own country. Another issue with separation is that it is the most obvious solution to many tensions, but not the correct one. Self-governance doesn't address a lot of the root issues that causes these separatist movements. Some issues such as ethnic nationalism have gotten much worse when countries have split apart in the past.

So looking back to the issue of Taiwan and China. Even if most people in Taiwan want to separate, that doesn't mean it should be allowed. In order for independence to be granted, Taiwan must firstly be able to function independently, and also the issues that exist between China and Taiwan have to be fixed by a Taiwan self-governance. I have no idea whether or not Taiwan should separate, but the idea I would like to bring forth is that the issue is far deeper than people wanting it.

On March 06 2013 19:07 targ wrote:



I've heard that Quebec constantly talks about secession. Do you think they can do it if a popular vote gets passed on the issue? Just curious on the matter.