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"Washington may be the political center of the free world, but its 670,000 residents don’t have a say in the national legislature. What they do have is a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives. Eleanor Holmes Norton can introduce legislation and vote in committee, but she can’t vote on the House floor. Over the course of 13 terms, the 'Warrior on the Hill' been fighting to change that." 
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"What a non-independent people fear most is the possibility of being swallowed up by the dominant alien culture in their midst, and that's the likely outcome for Catalans under the Spanish rule. Don’t be surprised if they increasingly opt out of Spain and choose outright independence instead...there will never ever be a self-defeating Spanish government willing to risk losing Catalonia: 16% of its population, 19% of its G.D.P., 24% of its exports, a net provider of 20 billion euros ($22.3 billion) in siphoned taxes every year." Via Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Bridgitte's curator insight,
March 2, 2016 9:24 AM
This op-ed piece is overtly pro-Catalonian independence so there is no attempt to be fair and balanced, but that bias is a strength because it so clearly frames the political and cultural issues from a Catalonian Nationalist perspective. This article is a great way to show students how some members of a particular group that is seeking greater autonomy or independence perceives the relationship between their region and the larger state.
Tags: op-ed, Catalonia, Spain, political, devolution, autonomy, Europe, culture.
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"SOMALILAND, a slim slice of Somali-inhabited territory on the southern shore of the Gulf of Aden, ticks almost all the boxes of statehood. It has its own currency, a reasonably effective bureaucracy and a trained army and police force. But it has yet to receive official recognition from a single foreign government in the years since it declared independence in 1991. To the outside world, it is an autonomous region of Somalia, subject to the Somali Federal Government (SFG) in Mogadishu. Why is it not a state? Throughout the post-independence era, geopolitics in Africa has tended to respect 'colonial borders', i.e. the borders laid down by European colonial powers in the 19th century. Across the continent, there have been only two significant alterations to the colonial map since the 1960s: the division of Eritrea from Ethiopia, in 1993; and South Sudan from Sudan, in 2011." Via Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Raymond Dolloff's curator insight,
December 14, 2015 11:55 PM
Like many new developing countries, it is hard to overcome the hardships to prove that you deserve to be recognized as a new nation. Being recognized as a true nation means that there is political and economic stability within a country. The area where Somaliland is located is very unstable. Its parent nation, Somalia is very unstable. For example, in Somalia, there are pirates who hijack mariners and take them and the vessel hostage. Stability within a country is a major aspect for the international community to look at to recognize new countries.
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The financially troubled island now says it is unable to pay an estimated $72 billion debt, casting a pall on bond markets and pension funds. On the surface, Puerto Rico’s debt crisis is one of run-away spending on public welfare, with a diminishing small tax and economic base to support it. However, the island’s troubles are also tied to its commonwealth status: Puerto Rico is part of the United States but it lacks the local autonomy afforded to other U.S. states and electoral representation in Congress.
Dee Dee Deeken's curator insight,
August 2, 2015 1:26 PM
Nothing like an op-ed to get people thinking...this touches on economic, political and population geography. Tags: Puerto Rico, political, migration, autonomy, economic. 
Jose Soto's curator insight,
August 5, 2015 9:37 PM
Nothing like an op-ed to get people thinking...this touches on economic, political and population geography.
Tags: Puerto Rico, political, migration, autonomy, economic. 
Mark Hathaway's curator insight,
September 24, 2015 6:28 AM
There is no question that Puerto Rico is suffering from its current status as a commonwealth of the United States. However, the answer to their issues is not independence, its statehood. An independent Puerto Rico would continue to face the same economic issues. It would be just one of many depressed small Caribbean nations. It is well past the time, that Puerto Rico be admitted as a state into our union. The most recent vote on the issue, favored the statehood political status. However, the vast amounts of controversy surrounding the election process have made those results rather worthless. Puerto Rico has been floundering in political no mans land since the United States acquired the island from Spain at the end of the Spanish American War. The current political status is untenable. Hopefully a fair election can be held and the status of Puerto Rico will finally be settled.
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Members of the Flag Institute have created designs for what the Union Flag could look like in the event of independence
Jason Schneider's curator insight,
February 12, 2015 6:03 PM
The UK flag is known for representing a union between England and Scotland. It's known as the "Union Jack." The white on the UK flag represents peace peace and honesty and the blue represents loyalty and truth. It's a shame that those two colors have to change to Black and Yellow which I don't know what those colors would represent. If you put a Scottish flag with a UK flag, you won't find any yellow or black so I believe that Scotland is trying to exclude England and Scotland's alike colors such as blue and white and try to create a stronger equal union with England.
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VENICE, Italy – Venice, renowned for incomparable Gothic architecture and placid canals plied by gondolas that make it one of the most recognizable cities in the world, may have had enough of Italy.
Joshua Mason's curator insight,
March 16, 2015 3:03 PM
Nobody wants to feel like they're not in control and Venice is no different. Large money making cities or regions often try to break off from their states or countries. New York City has talked about becoming its own state (And with a population of 8.406 million as of 2013, it's bigger than some states) before defending that its taxes aren't going to it and that Albany isn't meeting its demands. Venice is in the same boat (dare I say gondola) and simply wants to have a little more autonomy like way back. Secession is a bold move to make and judging from the article, it seems as if it's not wanted by all and maybe just a little more interest in the region will be taken by the government. Sometimes making bold claims is all that's needed to get what you want. 
Kristin Mandsager San Bento's curator insight,
April 6, 2015 9:58 PM
Venice is to Italy as Italy is to Venice. I imagine it will stay this way forever. I think if there are wealthy people who want to see the split happen then it will. But just because a group want a movement started, it won't happen. I imagine Venice will see a few more concessions in the future if this problem persists. 
Richard Aitchison's curator insight,
February 6, 2018 9:53 AM
When you think of Italy a few cities that come to mind are Rome, Florence, Milan, and definitely Venice. So seeing the headline kind of shocked me "Venice wants out of Italy." While the article is from 2014 it is still an interesting read, as other places in the world have had similar problems as we continue to see a major shift in our population to cities and less spread out among the rest rural areas. As the article explains some of the reasons for wanting to leave is the history of the city itself and the pride of the people that live their. As shown in some of the pictures you can see some of the great architecture and as most know it is one of the most recognizable cities in the world. However, what further is explained that many of the people that live there are getting tired of paying millions of dollars in taxes to help support regions in southern Italy that can not support themselves. This money is being sent to the federal government to keep the country's economy stable, but not be given back directly to Venice. This can become a problem all over the world as we see cities starting to support other parts of rural areas and are not giving back to the actual city in which they live in. As cities become overpopulated with high taxes they have become mini-countries themselves. What will be the first city we see break off from a country? It will be interesting, will it be Venice? Probably not, but who knows.
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Beyond the stunning act that has become Britain’s vote to leave the European Union lies a deeper message: Democracy is not destiny, but devolution. Ceaseless entropy — the second law of thermodynamics — applies to politics as well. The more countries democratize, the more local populations seek greater self-rule.
Kelsey McIntosh's curator insight,
January 18, 2018 7:40 PM
In this article, Parag Khanna argues exactly what the title suggests, "London should secede from the United Kingdom". In light of the UK's decision to leave the European Union, Khanna discusses that "Londoners... voted by a wide majority to 'remain' in the EU" and suggests that many Londoners have lost their sense of British Pride after the secession. Though it is mentioned that the city "can't and won't" leave the country, the exit from the EU directly impacts London's economy because "immigrants are essential for the city’s financial and education sectors". Without the immigrants, the city's finances will not only be in jeopardy, but its connection between foreign places will be impacted as well.
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Competing territorial claims have led to maritime disputes off the coast of Asia. See a map of the islands at issue.
This is an nice interactive map that allows the reader to explore current geopolitical conflicts that are about controlling islands. This is an good source to use when introducing Exclusive Economic Zones, which is often the key strategic importance of small, lightly populated islands.
Tags: EastAsia, SouthEastAsia, political, unit 4 political, territoriality, autonomy, conflict, economic. Via English Gallery, Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Elizabeth Bitgood's curator insight,
April 24, 2014 2:40 PM
This interactive page gives relevant information about islands that are disputed over in southeast Asia. I liked it because you could see the information in context with the map. 
Jess Deady's curator insight,
May 4, 2014 9:47 PM
This is like a game of Monopoly when people try and get all the houses or businesses. Except this is real life and real isles. Whose is whose? How does Asia decide where and how the EEZ's should be divided. 
Benjamin Jackson's curator insight,
December 14, 2015 12:05 PM
considering that half of the nations involved are island nations, this is hardly surprising. every nation has issues with their neighbors. even the us and Canada dispute some territory. but these disputes can hardly end as well, when half of these nations have fought wars with each other for most of their histories.
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The Spanish region of Catalonia adopts a resolution supporting independence from Spain, but Spain's PM says his government will challenge it. Tags: Catalonia, Spain, political, devolution, autonomy, Europe, culture.
Kevin Nguyen's curator insight,
December 7, 2015 11:45 AM
I've never heard of this country until recently when I came across a video on youtube about it. In my opinion, Catalonia has the right to secede from Spain because there are many ethnic group wanting their own dependence around the world and it doesn't feel like it's a part of another country. However, it all comes down to politics and Spain wants as much territory as it can get. Plus Catalonia is doing pretty for itself and the Spanish definitely want a part of that.
Benjamin Jackson's curator insight,
December 13, 2015 1:25 PM
the Catalonia independence movement is just a small part of a large number of regions which were once autonomous and wish to be again. with so many of these areas in Europe the independence movements are finding hard to get support from other nations.
Raymond Dolloff's curator insight,
December 15, 2015 1:29 AM
Challenging succession is a difficult task. First of all, there has to be a vote by the people and there has to be a strong driving force to get a positive outcome on the vote. The Prime Minister of Spain claims he will try to block it by filing a suit with the Constitutional Court. Succession of a country faces many hurdles especially if it does not have a strong vote to succeed and the opposition vote is strong.
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"Nothing unites different nations quite like mutual enemies. But the 'Auld Alliance' between Scotland and France - both historic rivals of England - doesn't mean that the French government favours Scottish independence. Far from it."
Nicole Kearsch's curator insight,
October 14, 2014 1:50 PM
Even though in past years France and Scotland have been friendly and wanted the best for each other, Scottish independence is not on the list of things to do for France. They have good blood together, sharing foods, music and alcohol at festivals there is no need to worry about any hatred happening even if the French does not back Scotland's independence. While some think that France would think that areas like Brittany and Corsica would want independence from France that is not the reason. To keep checks and balances in place a strong United Kingdom is needed to keep Germany in line. With the independence of Scotland, the UK gets a little bit weaker and France is not okay with that.
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From Catalonia to Kurdistan, nationalist and separatist movements in Europe and beyond are watching the Scottish independence referendum closely.
Barbara Goebel's curator insight,
September 13, 2014 12:00 PM
Compare and contrast Scotland's bid for independence with events leading to American independence. How does a culture decide to change its political geography? 
Chris Costa's curator insight,
October 5, 2015 3:01 PM
It is interesting to see how globalization does as much to bring us together as it does to rip us apart. The exchange of ideas, goods, and people has hugely impacted the lives of everyday citizens and the nations that they call home, where divisions among people are felt more keenly as the competition in today's global economy grows stronger. Catalonia, the region that has done much to keep the economy of the Spanish nation afloat, and Catalans are eager to shed the "dead weight" they feel they are carrying; the Basque region has long since demanded its independence, and we have already seen the fracturing of the Balkans. In some instances, perhaps separation is for the best. However, I feel like these movements are the result of knee-jerk reactions to the current economic climate and deep, underlying hatreds that have no place in the current world order. Spain has been one nation for hundreds of years, as has the United Kingdom; to suddenly dissolve these unions in the name of century-long feuds seems not only unnecessary, but almost child-like. There is enough hatred in the world- why let us continue to divide amongst ourselves when history has shown that people in these regions can coexist and can consistently pull through these difficult periods. It is one thing to be proud of being Scottish- it is another to ignore the economic and political realities of what Scottish independence would bring for its people for the sake of this nationalist sentiment. I, for one, was relieved to see Scotland vote to remain a member of the UK. Separatist movements across the continent have been quieted, if only for another few years.
Raymond Dolloff's curator insight,
December 15, 2015 1:16 AM
The Scottish vote for independence would have broken up a modern United Kingdom. Many Scottish folks feel that it is time to separate from a parent country where there are many other countries that are involved. Becoming independent is not an easy task. There has to be a vote and a strong position for those separatists to succeed in getting a victorious vote. |
If you haven't discovered the podcast "Placemakers" you are missing out. In this episode, they explore the competing political context of Washington D.C. Since this podcast ran, the citizens of the district voted overwhelmingly for statehood, but since the governance of the district operates more at the national scale then on the local level, statehood is not happening anytime soon.
Tags: place, podcast, political, autonomy, scale, Washington DC.