National Separatism In The Process Of European Integration:A Perspective Of Tripartite Interaction

After experiencing theocratic-state and dynasty,a new form of polity—nation-state—emerged in Europe.Nation and sovereignty have become the key elements to symbolize the state.The foundation of political legitimacy has shifted from "divine rights of monarchy"to"sovereignty granted by the people",and the modern"nation-state"system has gradually taken shape.However,international politics is filled with realist contests of power politics.To a great extent,the establishment of a"nation-state"depends on "Armed Nationalism",Nationalism provides power support for the establishment of a sovereign state,while national separatism destroys the cohesion of a sovereign state and even becomes the source of conflict.After the end of the cold war,national separatism has become a governance problems in international politics.Particularly,national separatism is most intense in the process of European region.It is well-know that the in-depth development of European integration has made great achievements.The European Union is the symbol of European integration,which i.s a political entity with political,economic and social functions.It is conducive to the international balance of power and provides an alternative to the development of politics.As the European Union's ability to regulate and intervene in the internal affairs of its members is also growing,optimists believe that European integration is a magic panacea that can ameliorate separatist conflicts and the political anxiety of the ethnic minorities on this land.The mission of this dissertation is to analyze the attitude and concept of the European Union towards the issue of separatism in nation-states,and the interaction among the European Union,nation-states and the national separatists.By employing the cases of the Scottish National Separation Movement and the Spanish Catalonian Separation Movement,this dissertation attempts to observe and analyze the new changes and trends of the concept of sovereignty and the concept of nation-state in Europe,and the paradoxes in this interaction.The political parties of national separatists originally pursued to national independence movcement under the banner of nationalism.While demanding independence and sovereignty from the mother countries,these political parties also actively seek to join the European Union,which is obviously contrary to their political demands for independence and sovereignty."Integration"embodies a supranational concept of transferring sovereignty and shared governance,while national separatism is one of the extreme manifestations of traditional nation-state concept.Europe,which first conceived the modern nation-state,is the place that also gave birth to the idea and practice of transcending the nation-state.However,some ethnic groups are still carrying out various activities that aim at separating from the mother countries in order to realize the coupling of nationalities units and state sovereignties.The coexistence of the two phenomena of surpassing sovereignty and striving for sovereignty in Europe reflects the complexity of social and political development in modern Europe,and also provides us with a useful guide to thinking about the development trend of modern nation-states.