ETA and Basque Nationalism

            The ETA is the main group that is fighting for Basque independence.  ETA stands for Euzkadi/Euskadi ta Askatasuna, which means Basque Homeland and Freedom in the language of Basque.  They are “an organization employing armed struggle in the name of the Basque nationalism” movement.[1]  The group was founded in 1959, and is seen today as a leftist terrorist group.  The main goal of the ETA is to liberate the Basque people from both Spain and France.  Based on their history of bombings and kidnappings, it seems as though the group is willing to be extreme in their fight for freedom.  The group has been held responsible for nearly 1000 deaths in the past several decades.  Additionally, the ETA has used kidnapping, especially of important political figures, as a way to intimidate and send their message.  One of the less violent tools that the ETA uses to further separate the Basque people from the surrounding cultures is to encourage people to practice the Basque culture and to value it.  This way, they can empower their culture.

            In October of 2010, a ceasefire was declared by the ETA, which was made permanent in January of 2011.  The countries that consider the ETA to be a terrorist group (which includes a few European countries as well as the United States) are hopeful that this ceasefire will lead to dissolution of the ETA and eventually to an end of problems surrounding the Basque people. 

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[1]  Watson, Cameron. Basque Nationalism and Political Violence: The Ideological and Intellectual Origins of ETA. Reno, NV: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. Print.  Page 15.

"ETA." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Spanish Laws Regarding the Basque People

            Although the Basque Country formally is in both Spain and France, for the sake of simplicity, we here will only be focusing on the laws that the Spanish have regarding the Basque people.  The Basque Country has existed in Spain even before Spain itself was an official country.  One of the most detrimental laws to the Basque people as a whole was the Spanish Supreme Court decision to ban the creation of a Basque political party.  This was done due to fear of the extremist ETA group taking power in the government.[1] 

            One of the peaceful attempts that the Basque people made to develop their own laws was the “Plan Ibarretxe,” which would allow the Basque people to govern themselves.  They would gain control of their judicial, economic, labor and social systems.  The Spanish government would be left to control defense and national security.  Obviously, the Basque Parliament passed the plan, but the Spanish Parliament did not.  There is currently work being done to have the Plan Ibarretxe passed through the Spanish Parliament at a later time.[2]

            There have been many attempts made to create peace between the Basque and the Spanish.  These attempts include the Madrid Pact, the Lizarra Agreement, and the Antiterrorist Pact.  These agreements were created with the goal of fighting terrorism, especially that of the ETA.  Although each individual pact may not have been effective, they have become more effective together, as time has passed.[3]

            It seems as though the Spanish government has no plans in the future to free the Basque people and to make them independent.  Regardless, the people of the Basque Country will continue to fight for their freedom, probably employing both peace and violence tactics.    

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[1] Hedgecoe, Guy. "Sortu and ETA: Basque Politics, Spanish Law | OpenDemocracy."Sortu and ETA: Basque Politics, Spanish Law | OpenDemocracy. OpenDemocracy, 8 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

[2] "Http://www.globalmajority.org." Http://www.globalmajority.org. Global Majority, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

[3]Global Majority

Cultural Differances

The Basque people do not consider themselves to be a part of Spanish culture.  They are seen as separate and mysterious, with an entirely different language and culture. 

Some of the most prominent differences between Spanish and Basque culture are in arts and music, language, sports, and food.  Music in the Basque Country involves singing as a choir, playing of the tambourine, drums, tixistu (flute) and txalaparta (xylophone.)  When it comes to art, working with metals, especially gold and silver, has been practiced for a long time.  Additionally, work with leather and fabric is valued.  Basque sports focus on demonstrating strength ability through exercises such as stone lifting and dragging as well as log cutting.  Because of the Basque’s long history will boat constuction, longboat regatta races are also popular for sport.  Basque cuisine is heavy with seafood, including cod, bream, hake and squid.  Besides seafood, the Basque people prepare a lot of stews, especially with lamb, steak, mushrooms and beans.  There is a tradition in the Basque County called “txikiteos,” which involves eating pintxos (similar to hors d’oevres) and drinking tixikitos (wine) at different locations throughout the night.  However, the most obvious difference between the Spanish people and the Basque people is their language.  While Castilian Spanish is spoken throughout the rest of the country, the Basque language is extremely dissimilar.  

Spain's View of Basque Country

The Basque Country is located in northern Spain, and the views of the Basque people held by those who live in Spain can vary greatly.   Some Spaniards tend to view the Basque people as “’hot-headed…extremists [who] turn to bullets, bombs, and grenades.[1]’”  This belief is understandable, considering the violence experienced by some Spaniards as a result of Basque nationalism.  Many see no benefit in keeping the Basque country as a part of Spain, while others wish to keep the country as it is.  A Spanish nationalist, for example, might believe that Spain is “’better off’ without the Basques.[2]”  In this case, however dreaded the word “nationalist” may be, they are considered to be anyone who supports unity in Spain.  There is no doubt that the country of Spain would be changed if the Basque Country were to become independent.  Some nationalists believe that no matter what happens, even the defeat of the ETA, that there is no way that the Basque nationalists will ever stop fighting for autonomy.  The views of the Basque people by the Spanish vary, especially considering how the situation should be dealt with.  Will it be better off for everyone if the Basque are allowed to become independent, or will that make the already fragile Spanish economy even more shaky?  Is the conflict between the two groups as a result of cultural differences or political? 

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[1] Watson, Cameron. Basque Nationalism and Political Violence: The Ideological and Intellectual Origins of ETA. Reno, NV: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. Print. Page 16.

[2] Aretxaga, Begoña. Empire & Terror: Nationalism/postnationalism in the New Millennium. Reno: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, 2004. Print. Page 138.

Proposal

This first post is just some background information on the region itself. Basque Country is region in the North eastern part of Spain and a bit of Southwestern France.

This next picture is a photo of Bilbao with is a city within Basque Country. I found this picture on insidersabroad.com within their article entitled "Basque Country (Bilbao)".

Politically, this region is divided into three chambers: the Basque Autonomous Community and the other two residing in Spain. The Basque Autonomous Community and Navarre (a province within the community) have created separate administrative systems where as the third province of Basque Country, Aquitaine the portion within France, does not. For non-states, the Basque Autonomous Community and Navarre, have the highest of self-governance in the European Union. 

Basque Country has a population of 3 million people. It spans 7,970,656 square miles and due to the clashing of political differences between Basque Country and Spain much violence has occurred in the region. "This history of violent confrontation has left a lasting impression of resentment in the collective memory of many 

Basques" (USIP.org).