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One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others? A Comparative Analysis Of Secessionist Movements In Vermont, Quebec, Hawai'i And Kosovo, Brian M. Lusignan

Brian M Lusignan

Despite a widespread belief that support for secession is limited to society’s radical fringe, modern secessionist movements remain surprisingly legitimate. In Vermont, several well-organized secessionist groups draw on the state’s history as an independent republic to justify the state’s withdrawal from the United States. Nationwide, popular support for secession is surprisingly strong. And internationally, the right of “peoples” to self-determination is well-entrenched but riddled with complexities. Secession remains a perennially controversial and divisive subject, but one that merits debate.

This article describes the intersections between Vermont's modern secessionists, its independent history, and the international right to self-determination. The article focuses …