ABSTRACT
The historical formation of the concept of sovereignty is inextricably linked to conflict. This chapter focuses on internal sovereignty, and contentions and discussions about the supreme and original authority of a state power over a territory and its citizens. The evolution of the nationalist discursive formation from the statement of 'sovereignty' can be determined by various environmental mechanisms which, obviously, do not function as elements wholly outside the actors' cognitive processes and those of Basque society in general. The 'opportunity spiral', understood as an environmental mechanism, is perhaps most peripheral of the actors' strategies. From the 1980s onwards, the Europe-building process, the evolution in national conflict-management in democratic contexts, the end of the Cold War and changes to European borders, and the political action paradigm shift within the anti-system left, amongst other factors, activated a spiral of opportunities for stateless nations to demand sovereignty.
