Globalization and the Balkanization of States: The Myth of American Exceptionalism

Abstract

The world has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of new states in the past couple of decades. Many of these new countries are the result of ethnic nationalist movements dividing an existing state. Is the United States susceptible to the forces of division which we more commonly associate with the rest of the world? Or is the United States somehow exceptional in this regard? This article examines the growth of secessionist movements in the United States concluding these groups are similar to the forces of division operating elsewhere.

Key Words:

• nationalism
• secessionist movements
• Inter net