CIC 101 is a course at a fictitious European univ., and your instructor is Ricky Greenleaf. CIC 101 stands for Catalonia Independence Crisis. Picture yourself in a conference room with twenty people and your instructor, Mr. Greenleaf; is covering the Catalonia state problems in the country of Spain. You may be in London or Paris, but remember that Spain has a very high unemployment rate. If Catalonia becomes their own country, how can they be a prosperous nation with Barcelona being the main city for that economic cash cow? Catalonia wants to become an independent nation, as the prosperous area of eastern Spain voted to become independent in the past week. Barcelona is the second most populous city in Spain, and the most populous city in Catalonia. The main problem in Spain is Catalonia independence will bring a huge constitutional crisis, for Europe as well as the Spaniards. The European continent is dealing with Brexit for the past 18 months, and Catalonia could be another problem for the EU (European Union). Essentially, Catalonia is performing the incredible secession from Spain. More than 2 million people cast votes for separating Catalonia from Spain, and Catalonia could be an independent sovereignty by the middle of October 2017. Can you believe that statement? It could become a reality, as this former Olympic region (Barcelona 1992) could be better off by itself. Then, there’s the flip side which Ricky Greenleaf wants you to follow. The idea here is for Catalonia to stay in Spain, as the country depends on this region for many resources and economic indicators that may help Spain overcome a high unemployment, etc. As many of my readers know, Brexit is an idea that should not have come to fruition. The same can be said about Catalonia and their secession from Spain. Spain needs to work within the country, and their government should unite to keep Catalonia as an economic juggernaut in the Iberian Peninsula. Catalan politician Mireia Boya should work with right-wing Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, instead of pushing the Catalonian population to protest against Spain.
Finally, let’s move to some hypothetical situations in the 1st quarter of 2018. If Catalonia is a separate sovereign nation, what is the form of currency? The EU would have to vote to accept, or reject Catalonia into the European bloc. The EU is coping with Brexit already, and the nations of Portugal and Spain may not be the only ones dealing with the constitutional crisis. Many nations in Europe would be affected by Catalonia secession. The next hypothetical situation is does Spain continue to be an authoritarian state/country, as the Spanish govt. rejected recent negotiations brought about by Catalonia. Spain has blocked internet sites in the country, arrested political leaders for other ridiculous reasons, and is influencing the media. In the end, France and Germany may try to help their Spanish ally but will it be too late. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron may aid Spain, but Catalonia may want to be the seceded state. Catalan could be the official language, and Spanish could be the secondary language. Hope you the reader has gained knowledge about the current political chaos in Spain, and Catalonia. Enjoy the picture above of the current political/geographic map of Spain and Portugal. This map may change in another four to five months, but that is out of our control. Remember that countries, and regions can become independent in the correct fashion not via secession.
