Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence

The failed Catalan sovereignty process, launched in 2012 and then crushed by the intervention of the Spanish central government in 2017, relied to a certain extent on a discursive framework based on the evocation of previous secessionist experiences in Europe. Among these, the case of Slovenia (succ...

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Main Authors: Carlos González-Villa, Branislav Radeljić
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Europe 2023-12-01
Series:Современная Европа
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sov-europe.ru/images/pdf/2023/6-2023/VillaRadeljic-6-23_BR--2.pdf
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author Carlos González-Villa
Branislav Radeljić
author_facet Carlos González-Villa
Branislav Radeljić
author_sort Carlos González-Villa
collection DOAJ
description The failed Catalan sovereignty process, launched in 2012 and then crushed by the intervention of the Spanish central government in 2017, relied to a certain extent on a discursive framework based on the evocation of previous secessionist experiences in Europe. Among these, the case of Slovenia (successfully completed in 1992) stood out. A close examination of these cases outlines the limitations of these analogies, notably through their differences in terms of political and social articulation and, in particular, the diverging success of external engagement. Beyond political and social articulation and the degree of economic development (heterogeneous aspects in many successful statehood processes), the comparison of these cases demonstrates that a sound internationalization strategy is essential for statehood attainment. The success of such a strategy does not solely depend on the secessionist actors’ ability to reach out to the relevant international players, but also on the latter’s readiness to provide necessary support. While the Slovenes managed to promptly engage with the rapid geopolitical changes in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, the Catalan bid for secession found receptiveness only among marginal actors within major powers, all together unwilling to push for border changes of a state located in a sensitive area of the Euro-Atlantic security complex.
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spelling doaj-art-8c371041a87f4d7db16e28392a6de8ca2025-08-20T03:53:26ZengRussian Academy of Sciences, Institute of EuropeСовременная Европа0201-70832023-12-016819510.31857/S0201708323060086Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of IndependenceCarlos González-Villa0Branislav Radeljić1University of Castilla-La ManchaUnited Arab Emirates UniversityThe failed Catalan sovereignty process, launched in 2012 and then crushed by the intervention of the Spanish central government in 2017, relied to a certain extent on a discursive framework based on the evocation of previous secessionist experiences in Europe. Among these, the case of Slovenia (successfully completed in 1992) stood out. A close examination of these cases outlines the limitations of these analogies, notably through their differences in terms of political and social articulation and, in particular, the diverging success of external engagement. Beyond political and social articulation and the degree of economic development (heterogeneous aspects in many successful statehood processes), the comparison of these cases demonstrates that a sound internationalization strategy is essential for statehood attainment. The success of such a strategy does not solely depend on the secessionist actors’ ability to reach out to the relevant international players, but also on the latter’s readiness to provide necessary support. While the Slovenes managed to promptly engage with the rapid geopolitical changes in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, the Catalan bid for secession found receptiveness only among marginal actors within major powers, all together unwilling to push for border changes of a state located in a sensitive area of the Euro-Atlantic security complex.http://www.sov-europe.ru/images/pdf/2023/6-2023/VillaRadeljic-6-23_BR--2.pdfsloveniacataloniasecessionismpost-cold war
spellingShingle Carlos González-Villa
Branislav Radeljić
Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence
Современная Европа
slovenia
catalonia
secessionism
post-cold war
title Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence
title_full Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence
title_fullStr Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence
title_full_unstemmed Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence
title_short Too Little, Too Late: the Catalan Debacle in Light of the Slovenian Attainment of Independence
title_sort too little too late the catalan debacle in light of the slovenian attainment of independence
topic slovenia
catalonia
secessionism
post-cold war
url http://www.sov-europe.ru/images/pdf/2023/6-2023/VillaRadeljic-6-23_BR--2.pdf
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