Spain and the Basque Country - A Case Study

Essay from the year 2010 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Western Europe, grade: 1,0, University of Wales, Aberystwyth (Department of International Politics), language: English, abstract: Basques are living in seven provinces at the Bay of Biscay on the territories of France (three rather small provinces) and Spain, which constitute the „greater Basque Country‟ or „Euskal Herria‟. In Spain the southern - and by far bigger - part of Euskal Herria consists of the autonomous community Navarra and the autonomous community Basque Country („Euskadi‟) with its three provinces Álava, Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya. Basque nationalists in Euskadi claim especially Navarra as part of their territory. The Basque conflict can be described as a nationalist struggle based on ethnicity which is particularly vital - and violent - in Euskadi. Nationalists in the Basque Country are claiming the right for self-determination and sovereignty in contrast to the Spanish government, which is reluctant to grant the Basques sovereignty. Attacks executed by the separatist terrorist group ETA, which have yet left more than 800 dead, are the violent excesses of the conflict. The case study pays special attention to the distinct features of the conflict by analysing the Basque society. As there has not yet been any progressed peace process, the hitherto existing efforts towards peace are being traced and those problems revealed (especially the issue of „spoiling‟) that prevented a sustainable peace process from getting kicked off. A glance into the future is then dared that takes into consideration recent political changes.