The people of East Timor suffered hugely at the hands of the Indonesian
military and local militias allied to it when they attempted (successfully in
the end) to secede. As Chaliand pointed out:
the fact is that during the last three decades it has been far easier for a
country to achieve formal independence from ex-colonial power than for
a minority to obtain a measure of (effective) autonomy within a Third
World state. The reaction of demands of every kind has been almost
universally negative. (Chaliand, 1980, p. 9)National governments may be assisted in their negotiation of a compro-
mise by nationalist factions which are prepared to accept less than complete
political independence. Surveys of political attitudes mainly, it has to be
admitted, in developed countries, have revealed that significant numbers
and often majorities within the ethnic groups concerned are prepared to
accept constitutional autonomy rather than separation for their country – a
finding that almost certainly applies to developing countries. However, sur-
veys also show that even among those who do not favour separation and
who reject violence as a means to that end, there are many who sympathize
with those engaged in violent resistance – explaining ‘how guerrilla strug-
gles have been maintained for years in the face of overwhelming odds’
(Connor, 1988, p. 216).
The demands of political movements may be significantly modified over
a period of time, so that national independence is displaced by lesser objec-
tives, such as the creation of a new territorial unit within a federation, offi-
cial recognition of a language, and symbolic distinctions. Equally, modest
demands can escalate under pressure of events, such as East Pakistan’s pro-
gression from linguistic equality to autonomy in a loose federation and from
there to secession (Wright, 1976, p. 9). Different ethnic groups vary in their
demands. In South Asia, for example, some have demanded reforms within
existing state structures, such as affirmative action policies. Others have
called for the restructuring of the regime, including devolution and provin-
cial autonomy. Still others agitate for the restructuring of the state through
secession and irredentist change (Phadnis and Ganguly, 2001, p. 215). The
ultimate goal of secessionists is the creation of a new nation-state.
Decentralization is unlikely to provide a lasting solution if there is wide-
spread support within the affected region for the secessionist cause, and
there is likely to be widespread support if the secessionist movement is
founded on a sense of nationalism within the aspirant state.
Nationalism and Secession 197