II Countries and Regions, 14 Constitutional Crisis in Spain: The Catalan Secessionist Challenge

In the past few years, a strong secessionist movement has emerged in Catalonia, one of the most economically advanced regions in Spain. Its leaders have encouraged and actually performed acts of legal disobedience to reach their ultimate goal: separating Catalonia from the rest of the country. They have developed the argument that the Spanish Constitution (as interpreted by the Constitutional Court) is unfair to the extent that it does not permit Catalans to decide in a referendum whether to exit from Spain. Separatist leaders therefore think it justified for...