{"id":101122,"date":"2017-11-06T12:01:19","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T12:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=101122"},"modified":"2017-11-13T11:50:11","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T11:50:11","slug":"kosovo-led-to-catalonia-but-west-wont-admit-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/11\/kosovo-led-to-catalonia-but-west-wont-admit-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Kosovo Led to Catalonia. But West Won\u2019t Admit It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE PHOTO \u00a9 Global Look Press<\/p><\/div>\n

30 Oct 2017 – <\/em>The same countries that cheered when Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union broke up and insisted on \u2018independent Kosovo\u2019 now say Catalonia\u2019s declaration of independence is unacceptable. But they wrote the rules the Catalans are now following.<\/p>\n

On Friday [27 Oct], the Catalan parliament declared independence<\/a> from Spain. Madrid has refused to recognize the declaration. Anything can happen next, from a negotiated settlement of some kind to a civil war.<\/p>\n

Tempting as it is to delve into the arguments of who is right and what should be done, this will not be an attempt to judge the legitimacy of Catalonia\u2019s independence pitch or lack thereof. What I find interesting is the noise emanating from the capitals whose actions have enabled the crisis to arise in the first place \u2012 not that they\u2019ll ever admit it.<\/p>\n

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France, Britain, and Germany have come out against Catalan independence and in favor of Spain\u2019s territorial integrity. So has Washington, with the State Department declaring \u201cCatalonia is an integral part of Spain<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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#Spain<\/a> is important @NATO<\/a> ally, #Catalonia<\/a> is integral part of #Spain<\/a>. We support constitutional measures to keep #Spain<\/a> strong & united. pic.twitter.com\/dGd2sQ3EHs<\/a><\/p>\n

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) October 27, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n