BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL POLITICS: THE DETERMINANTS OF ERITREA’S SUCCESSFUL SECESSION

Abstract

Contrary to the vast majority of African states that gained independence through processes of decolonization from European colonial powers, Eritrea attained independent statehood by formally withdrawing from an established sovereign African state. This occurrence represents a remarkable political development in post-colonial Africa for at least two reasons: 1) it was the first time that a secessionist movement succeeded in its quest for independence; 2) the struggle for independence took place within a continental framework that was particularly hostile to the emergence of new states. Drawing upon secondary qualitative data sources, this study examines Eritrea’s secession against the background of scholarship that emphasizes the social, political and economic context in which secessionist struggles take place. It argues that Eritrea’s successful secession lies at the intersection of domestic and global politics, combining factors such as the region’s historical and legal claims for territorial self-determination, the policies of alienation of the parent-state, the effectiveness of the strategies of the secessionist movements, the end of the Cold War and the supportive role of the victorious superpower. The study adds new and systematic contributions to the debate on the determinants of successful secessions in post-colonial Africa.