Self-Determination, Imperialism, and Secession

This article is adapted from  a lecture presented on August 3, 2024 at Mises University 2024  in Auburn, Alabama. 

The full name of this talk is “Self-Determination, Imperialism, and Secession: 3 Sides of the Same Coin.” So, I abuse the metaphor a bit, be we might also say that self-determination and secession—and self-determination’s opposite, imperialism—are three ways of looking at the same object.

The defense of self-determination is well-established within the so-called “classical” liberal tr...