Consequences of Disunity (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Nation or state?

• Confusion arises around the terms nation or state or even nation-state and which one to use.
  • The term nationalism is used to describe pride and promotion of sovereign and non-sovereign regions which leads to more confusion
• For example, when talking about 'African nations' it refers to sovereign states (the countries) but the 'United Nations' is an organisation of nation-states

Differences Between a Nation and a State

Nation	State
A nation is a group of people with common traditions, culture, language, or history and willing to live together. A nation is dynamic and always changing	The State must have all the following: a population, a territory, a government and sovereignty (power to govern)
Nations do not have judicial laws, but have unwritten traditions, customs and rules	States create laws and rules that are mandatory
Not all nations have a state. They can form other territorial entities, such as communities, regions or villages	A state is based on one or several nations
A nation is historical and sociological	The state is a political concept
Nations evolve and are more stable	States are created and rely on soverignty
Nations can survive without a defined territory	States have a defined, fixed territory

Consequences of disunity

• There are strong nationalist movements seeking to create independent, smaller states (separatism) whilst remaining within larger trading groups (Catalonia or Scotland wishing to be separate but remain in the EU)
• These nationalistic movements arise due to:
  • Differences in languages and cultures
  • Peripheral location geographically (Bangladesh was once part of Pakistan but separated by India)
  • Alienation from central government
  • Or a combination of above factors
• If national divisions are significant enough, it can lead to a demand for secession - where part of a state is separated in order to create a new and independent country

Demands for secession

Independence Movements 

	Catalonia	Scotland
Where	Autonomous region of Spain, a triangular area in the northeastern corner of Spain. It is bordered by France and Andorra to the north	Northern region of the UK
Language	Catalan	English with Scots and Scottish Gaelic as minority languages
Background	Autonomy existed prior to Spanish Civil War, but was withdrawn by Nationalist General Franco as Catalan had sided with the losing Republicans. Recognised as a separate nationality by the new democratic government in 1979, but not granted independence.	The Scots have always resented the way their nation is controlled by English politicians sitting Westminster. Ancient conflicts with the English stir up strong feelings on nationalism, yet in 2014, the Scottish people chose to remain part of the UK - but only just
Recent movement	Large pro-independence demonstrations held which culminated in an independence referendum being held in October 2017. The referendum attracted a 43% turnout, with 90% of the votes returning 'yes'. This was enough for Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to declare independence from Spain. The Spanish government in Madrid declared it illegal and Madrid imposed direct rule on the region shortly afterwards.	Very few supported the Conservative or Labour Party in Scotland during the 2019 General Election. Out of 59 Scottish seats, 48 were won by the SNP (Scottish National Party), which advocates full Scottish independence. Although Scotland has an income from oil and gas, recent price fluctuations means that independence may cost more than nationalists suggested.
Result	No other state recognised the result as valid and independence wasn't gained.  Some leaders of the separatist movement were put on trial, and others fled the country. The trial increased tensions with Madrid and support for independence is mixed.	In 2020, support for Scottish independence is higher than in 2014, and a second referendum is being pushed for.  Brexit may be the catalyst for a Scottish independence as support for the EU is strong with over 60% of Scotland voting to 'remain' in the EU

• There are significant political tensions in the BRIC and other emerging nations resulting from the uneven pattern of the costs and benefits of globalisation
• In some instances, these uneven, internal regional or ethnic divisions threaten to dis-unify nation-states

Emerging Economy	Internal Tensions
Brazil	Divisions arose over the costs of hosting of the World Cup (2014) and the Olympic Games (2016). Protesters argued that the money would have been better spent in alleviating poverty.  Many of the promises of improved homes, infrastructure and schools never materialised and many of the stadiums and Olympic Village sits abandoned and vandalised. Indigenous communities of the Amazon are facing loss of ancestral land from land-grabbers after deforestation. Many communities have been threatened and even killed, in attempts to oust them from their land.  Bolsonaro elected in 2019, divided Brazilian society on a wide range of issues from anti-LGBT rights and support for deforestation
Russia	Internal tensions on Russian nationalism are a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that have political, social and cultural dimensions and many link back to the era of the Soviet Union Russification was a policy of enforcing Russian culture on the vast numbers of ethnic minorities that lived in Russia. It involved promoting Russian language, religion, education, and administration over other cultures and suppressing their rights and identities.
India	There are long-standing tensions between the Hindi majority and Muslim minority and Prime Minister Modi's 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act is seen as a way to alienate India's Muslims Kashmir in the northwest is a difficult region to control and is disputed with Pakistan Several separatist movements in the northeast of the country Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram
China	Separatist pressure exists in Tibet and in the west where the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group live, resulting in the Chinese government constructing 're-education camps', which some observers have commented as an action to genocide. Internally, there is large rural to urban migration and the hukou system has resulted in migrants not having full rights when they move to urban areas. Hong Kong has seen pro-democracy protests as a response to Beijing's move to exert more control within the semi-autonomous region. China's new National Security Law (2020) effectively gives control over Hong Kong - although this is in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1985

• The role of the state is variable and national identity is not always strong, especially in ‘failed states’ where there are stark differences between the politically and economically powerful elite, foreign investment groups and the wider population
• Where a government has lost political control and is unable to provide it basic responsibilities; unity and loyalty to the state is lost and it becomes 'a failed state'
• Many African states were artificially created under European rule in the 19th century, and this threw differing indigenous communities together
• In the immediate post-colonial period, statesmanship was lost as these communities squabbled amongst themselves for ultimate power, creating a lack of internal cohesion allowing for newly emerging nations to quickly fail
• It also exposed the differences between those with political and economic power and the wider population and bred corruption and inherent instability

Sudan

• The Sudan became independent in 1955
• During its colonial past, Britain divided it along ethnic lines
  • Arabs in the north
  • Mostly black African ethnic groups in the south
• This separated the country ethnically and culturally
• In 2011, after 50 years of internal struggles and a loss of 2 million lives, the Sudan gave up on unity
• The new state of South Sudan was declared
• The remainder of Sudan kept its name and the capital city - Khartoum
• As a state, South Sudan has the worst health and development indicators in the world
• Internal issues include:
  • Violence and corruption jeopardising peace and development efforts
  • Ethnic conflict that has killed and displaced thousands of civilians. South Sudan has 64 ethnic groups with the largest being the Dinkas, who make up around 35% of the population and dominate in government.
  • Lack of a viable governing system and widespread political conflict  
  • Food insecurity and malnutrition caused by drought and economic failures
  • Cattle are used as food and as a store of wealth. It takes 20 cows to buy a bride if a young man hopes to marry, which encourages cattle raiding and ethnic conflict

  • Attacks on humanitarian workers and suspension of aid support

Solution?

• There are no easy solutions to internal disunity
• Many of the borders were drawn by past colonial rule, which threw unrelated ethnic groups together and created further tensions when independence was subsequently gained
• Even secession can create issues, as South Sudan has shown