The Road to Peace in the Basque Country: Going from the Long and Winding to the Straight and Narrow
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2007
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
What is commonly known as the "Basque Conflict" is the over fifty-year dispute between Basque Nationalists and the Spanish government for sovereign control over territory known as the Basque region in Northern Spain (see Appendix A). Although the struggle does include some land in the state of France and has also affected the French political environment, for several important reasons it has not been nearly as significant a factor in their respective national politics as it has been in Spain. Also, while historically the conflict has gone on for much longer than half a century, it is in this timeframe that considerable change has taken place in terms of political environment as well as the use and threat of violence. Furthermore, the developments in the Basque conflict and international awareness since the mid to late 1990's have specifically spoken to both its opportunity for and obstacles to a resolution. As this subject matter is the topic of my study, for the purpose of this thesis, I will focus on the Basque Conflict within Spain and particularly its history and political context from the founding of the Basque Nationalist and terrorist group ETA in 1959, with specific emphasis on Spain since its transition to democracy beginning in the 1970's up until the dissolution of the ETA ceasefire on 30 December 2006. The Basque conflict has long caused pause in both political policy-makers and theorists alike due to its deep-rooted history, complex psychological and social dimensions along with its perceived intransigence. In many ways an ostensibly intractable conflict, I argue that the Basque "problem" can, and hopefully someday will, be solved. While at present a broken ceasefire agreement and unstable dialogue efforts characterize the conflict, there is nevertheless the potential for resolution. For a study as intricate and nuanced as this, it is necessary to understand both the empirical and theoretical aspects of the case. While the past several years have ushered in new approaches and energy to the peace process, the efforts thus far seem to have fallen short. On the one hand, the complexity and deep psychological roots of the Basque conflict lends itself to a purely individualistic state-led approach. However, its continued intractability calls for a more openly mediated and somewhat theoretical method. Although there is no 'cookie-cutter' approach to peace-making, especially for a case as complicated as the Basques, I maintain that there are nevertheless lessons to be learned and strategies that can be applied from other similar peace processes. Specifically, I contend that more appropriate and useful observations may be made towards a resolution by using a comparative approach with the study of the Northern Ireland conflict. I further argue that because of the similarities between the two case studies it is possible to make comparisons to the Basque conflict based on the successes and failures of the peace process in Northern Ireland. Ultimately, with thorough analysis and assessment of the Spanish case, it is possible to make constructive recommendations for the peace process in Spain, potentially resulting in an eventual resolution to the Basque conflict.