Secession, Territorial Integrity and (Non)-Sovereignty: Why do Some Separatist Movements in the Caribbean Succeed and Others Fail?

Abstract

Secessionist movements are ubiquitous in the Caribbean, with virtually every multiisland state and territory experiencing centrifugal tendencies. The region thus offers a unique opportunity to examine why some succeed and others fail. By and large, the propensity for secession has not attracted the attention of scholars beyond the region, with small states and territories largely excluded from supposedly 'global' analysis on the subject. The article fills this gap by analysing secessionist movements in both sovereign and non-sovereign territories. We find that secession was most likely to occur in the run-up to independence. In the post-colonial period, successes have only occurred among non-sovereign territories-as demonstrated by the fragmentation of the Netherlands Antilles and the administrative separation of St Martin and St Barthélémy from Guadeloupe-which have split from each other while collectively remaining part of a metropolitan state. Non-sovereignty reduces the costs of heterogeneity via the shelter provided by the larger metropolitan power. By analysing hitherto understudied cases, this article thus adds to studies that show how secession is contingent on continued state protections which allow downsizing to occur in an orderly manner, which is in turn consistent with the desire of the international community for geopolitical stability.

The marine litter issue in the Windward Islands- a pathway to responses using the DPSIR framework

“…It is also well known that geography and colonialism has somehow greatly influenced the socio-historic developments of the region in which separatism is embedded. There is strong evidence of intra-regional comparison and competition within WCR, which also plays crucial roles in hindering regional integration (Bishop, 2014;Bishop et al, 2021).…”

Secessionism in Nevis: Why Have Tensions Eased?

“…The literature on secession in the Caribbean generally and St Kitts and Nevis specifically provides empirical support to each of these theories (see Baldacchino & Hepburn, 2012;Bishop et al, 2022;J. Byron, 1999;Clegg, 2012).…”

“…Interestingly, the presence of a multi-level alternative to the unitary state can encourage fragmentation. This has been more prevalent in the non-sovereign French and Dutch Caribbean territories of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, Saint Barthelemy and Bonaire (for further discussion see Bishop et al, 2022).…”

Worlds apart: Island identities and colonial configurations in the Dutch Caribbean

“…As the examples of the West Indies Federation as well as the French and Netherlands Antilles reveal, multi-island units are indeed often plagued by inter-island rivalries and separatist tendencies (Bishop et al, 2021). This is not only a Caribbean phenomenon but can also be observed in many African and Pacific island nations.…”

“…Murrain, 1993, p. 6), complaining that all the resources and financial assistance of the metropolis remain on the larger island, while a disproportionately limited share is allocated to the smaller island(s). Since both the larger island and the smaller islands in such archipelagic jurisdictions are bound to chafe against their political and economic dependence on each other, island separatism is the unsurprising upshot of these political unions (Baldacchino & Hepburn, 2012;Bishop et al, 2021;Clegg, 2012).…”