irredentism - Origins, "Triadic nexus" of irredenta conflict, Constitutional irredentism

A political movement whose aim is to reunite to a motherland those territories connected to it by language, history, and culture but which are part of another political entity. It enjoyed considerable support in Italy from the end of the 19th-c to the end of World War 1. It advocated the return of the regions that had remained under Austrian domination after the 3rd Independence War: Trentino, Venezia Giulia, and Istria.

Irredentism is an international relations term that involves advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged.

However, some countries are the subject of potential irredentism from birth.

An area that may be subjected to a potential claim is therefore sometimes called an irredenta.

Origins

The word was coined in Italy from the phrase Italia irredenta ("unredeemed Italy").

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, as in Greater Syria or Greater Serbia.

"Triadic nexus" of irredenta conflict

In his 1996 book, Nationalism Reframed, Rogers Brubaker outlined a pattern to describe a common theme of irredentist conflict, referred to as the "triadic nexus". In this view, irredenta conflict is a conflict between three parties: a nationalizing state, a national movement representing an ethnic minority within that state, and an external national homeland, to which that minority is construed as ethnically belonging. The implication is that the national minority is caught between the nationalizing state within whose borders it exists, and the external homeland to which it is seen as belonging.

Constitutional irredentism

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

Argentina Part III, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Argentine Nation states that "The Argentine Nation ratifies its legitimate and non-prescribing sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and over the corresponding maritime and insular zones, as they are an integral part of the national territory.

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. The Republic of China has not formally renounced claims to the areas currently controlled by the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Tuvan Republic and parts of 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 Republic of India From 1950 - present claims Jammu and Kashmir as part of the state's "national territory" as well as what it calls Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and China Occupied Kashmir (COK).

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.

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.

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 1990's. (See Chazan, 1991, Irredentism and international politics)