ABSTRACT
Introduction The origins, conduct and conclusion of separatism, while clearly linked, do not follow a linear trajectory. Rather, a movement’s chronology often exhibits changes, discontinuities and cleavages that render linkages with its inception tenuous. An example of this is the observation made earlier that the reasons for the formation of a separatist movement and subsequent outbreak of violence often bear little resemblance to contemporary factors driving the conflict. Changes in membership, tactics, available resources, assistance from third party actors and other factors all influence the development of separatist conflicts and their amenability to peaceful resolution. Similarly, we may observe that two of the most effective separatist movements in South Asia – for Khalistan and a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka – which at various junctures looked close to achieving their aims, were comprehensively defeated. In contrast, other, less inspired and organized groups have managed to continue their struggle or achieved a measure of political independence short of independent statehood that was denied to Sikhs in India and Tamils in Sri Lanka. The only separatist conflict that resulted in an act of secession in South Asia has been the Bangladesh war of independence. However, many of the factors that led to the bifurcation of East and West Pakistan to create Bangladesh – significant military assistance from a much larger, more powerful intervening state and geographic noncontiguity between the parent and nascent states of more than 2,000 km – do not apply to other separatist conflicts. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the differing outcomes of these struggles and the reasons for the ‘success’ of various parties to them. The chapter begins with a discussion of Sikh and Tamil separatist movements in India and Sri Lanka that were comprehensively defeated by the parent state and looks at why, despite their often significant strengths and successes, these movements were unable to achieve their aims. This is followed by an examination of conflicts that are continuing (Balochistan, Kashmir, India’s northeast and Bangladesh’s CHT region) and the reasons behind these movements’ longevity.
