Secession in liberal-democratic contexts: lessons from Catalonia

Abstract

This chapter aims to show that secession, especially if unilateral, is difficult in contexts of liberal democracy. Obstacles and difficulties to consensual secession are distinguished from those of unilateral secession, emphasising the harshness of the latter. In the case of consensual secession, different types of legal obstacles to secession are presented and classified. Regarding unilateral secession, problems such as polarisation, non-recognition, coercion, anarchy, and legal uncertainty are addressed. Three strategies for dealing with these issues are analysed: domestication, perseverance and drama. Although a combination of the three is expected in the world of facts, domestication and perseverance should prevail over drama in the normative realm of liberal democracy.