Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural and political geography. Since most borders have been moved and redrawn at one point, a great many countries could theoretically present irredentist claims to their neighbours.

However, some countries are the subject of potential irredentism from birth. Post-WWI Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the Near East had borders carved out by the Allies that left many of the new countries in that region unsatisfied due to minority populations and conflicting historical claims. Many of Africa's borders were artificially imposed by European colonial powers. The result split ethnic groups between different countries, such as the Igbo who are divided among Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

An area that may be subjected to a potential claim is therefore sometimes called an irredenta. Not all irredentas are involved in actual irredentism.

Origins

Main article: Italia irredenta

The word was coined in Italy from the phrase Italia irredenta ("unredeemed Italy"). This originally referred to Austro-Hungarian rule over mostly or partly Italian-inhabited territories such as Trentino and Trieste during the 19th and early 20th century.

A common way to express a claim to adjacent territories on the grounds of historical or ethnic association is by using the epithet "Greater" before the country name. This conveys the image of national territory at its maximum conceivable extent with the country "proper" at its core. It must be noted that the use of "Greater" does not always convey an irredentistic meaning. For instance, Greater Romania is the common translation given to the Romanian term "Romania Mare", which is the name given between the two World Wars to the Kingdom of Romania. Romania claimed irredenta over Transylvania and Bessarabia after World War I. The term was also used by Germans referring to Greater Germany, a state consisting of pre World War I Germany, actual Austria and the Sudetenland.

Constitutional irredentism

Some states formalize their irredentist claims by including them in their constitutional documents.

Argentina. Part III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Argentina states that "The Argentine Nation ratifies its legitimate and non-prescribing sovereignty over the Malvinas (Falkland Islands), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and over the corresponding maritime and insular zones, as they are an integral part of the national territory. The recovery of said territories and the full exercise of sovereignty, respectful of the way of life of their inhabitants and according to the principles of international law, are a permanent and unrelinquished goal of the Argentine people." Section 35 mentions that the Argentine Nation is the modern name of the United Provinces of the River Plata, which included Uruguay as the Province of Montevideo until 1830.

People's Republic of China. The preamble to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China states "Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People's Republic of China. It is the lofty duty of the entire Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan, to accomplish the great task of reunifying the motherland." However, under international law, the PRC claim to sovereignty over Taiwan is generally based on the successor state theory, whereby the PRC is the legally recognized successor state to the Republic of China.

Republic of China. Article 4 of the 'Constitution of the Republic of China states that: "The territory of the Republic of China within its existing national boundaries shall not be altered except by a resolution of the National Assembly." The Republic of China has not formally renounced claims to the areas currently controlled by the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, and parts of Russia (Tuvan Republic), Burma and other Central Asian states bordering China, though it no longer actively pursues these claims.

Comoros. Article 1 of the Constitution of the Union of the Comoros begins: "The Union of the Comoros is a republic, composed of the autonomous islands of Mohéli, Mayotte, Anjouan, and Grande Comore." Mayotte, geographically a part of the Comoro Islands, was the only island of the four to vote against independence from France (a 63%-37% majority) in the referendum held December 22, 1974. The total vote was 94%-5% in favor of independence. Mayotte is currently a "departmental collectivity" of the French Republic.

India. From 1950 onward India has claimed Jammu and Kashmir as part of the state's "national territory" as well as Pakistan-administered Kashmir (which Indians refer to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) and Aksai Chin (which Indians refer to as China-occupied Kashmir).

Pakistan. From 1950 onward Pakistan has claimed Jammu and Kashmir (which Pakistan refers to as Indian-occupied Kashmir), as part of their state's "national territory." Pakistan also claims Azad Kashmir.

Republic of Ireland From 1937 until 1999 Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland claimed Northern Ireland as part of the state's "national territory".

Somalia Prior to its break-up as a functioning state, the Somali constitution contained paragraphs explicitly claiming adjacent territories to form a "Greater Somalia". The present Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) of the new Transitional Federal Government (TFG) clearly claims territories which comprise the self-declared independent nation of Somaliland, thus asserting sovereignty over territory of the former Somali Republic.

In addition, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Hungary, Suriname and Venezuela have all at one point in their recent history inscribed territorial claims extending into other states in formal documents, such as constitution. Colombia had its borders redrawn early in the 20th century with the independence of Panama in 1903.

Other claims

Spain continues to claim the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, ceded to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht, and argues its case at the United Nations claiming its territorial integrity is affected.

Some of the most violent irredentist conflicts of recent times in Europe flared up as a consequence of the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were largely about creating a new political framework of states, each of which would be ethnically and politically homogeneous. The conflict erupted further south with the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo seeking to switch allegiance to the adjoining state of Albania. (See Chazan, 1991, Irredentism and international politics)

Another case is Armenian irredentist project in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan ^[1]. In view of prominent expert on irredentist movements Thomas Ambrosio "from 1992 to the cease-fire in 1994 Armenia encountered a highly permissive or tolerant international environment that allowed its annexation of some 15 percent of Azerbaijani territory ^[2] Armenia denies its direct involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

See also

• List of irredentist claims or disputes
• international relations
• Annexationism
• Chauvinism
• Ethnic nationalism
• Ethnic cleansing
• Expansionism
• Extremism
• Fait accompli
• Identity politics
• Lebensraum
• Nationalism
• Propaganda
• Revanchism
• Rump state (a geopolitical state of existence that irredentism may create, seek to correct, or both)
• Secession
• Status quo ante bellum
• Territorial dispute

References