NBP 2020, 25(2): 39-51 Original scientific paper Submitted: 2020-03-24 doi:10.5937/nabepo25-25836 Published: 2020-09-23 DEFINING IRREDENTISM AS A SECURITY PHENOMENON Zoran Malbašić1, Milovan Trbojević Academy of National Security, Belgrade, Serbia Abstract: Irredentism as an inevitable element of expansionistic strategy still remains a fascinating concept and a subject of research in political science and security intelligence to boot. The subject of this paper is the origin of irreden- tism as a security phenomenon, the analyses of its numerous transformations and the resilience of this phenomenon in all country legal systems. The specific attention has been appointed to typology of irredentism alongside the goal of identifying the irredentist strategies throughout history until today, accompa- nied by an aspiration to identify the current potentially irredentist countries. Expansionistic doctrine cannot be observed as an internal affair of a country, but it is a generator of international crises, potentially growing into regional and further into global conflict. Analysing numerous theoretical views in this field, the authors’ intention has been to verify the structural characteristics of irredentism together with the initial partakers of conflicts alongside irredentist potential. Keywords: irredentism, ethnic conflict, political violence, international relations. INTRODUCTION Irredentism is a complex, synchro- fects which it fabricates to the internal nized strategy which is jointly realized structures, as well as to the international by the individuals, groups, political de- community, irredentism is a fascinating cision-makers and institutions from security phenomenon on multiple lev- national and international level with els. For creating such a joint national a goal to unify all the territories where politics, many nations experienced an the members of one nation live into a international community condemna- unique, undivided political entity. Due tion, but even the possibility of an open to its distinctiveness and mobilizing ef- conflict would not stop their intention 1 Corresponding author: [email protected] Malbašić, Z., Trbojević, M. (2020). Defi ning irredentism as a security phenomenon to fi ght for the ancient ethnic territories it can cause on a wider, regionally-glob- to which the members of their people al plan, irredentism is an unspecifi c oc- claim the right either on a legitimate or currence in the international politics. an assumed historical right. Th erefore, However, this expansionistic strategy the expansionistic politics oft en creates a deserves a scholar attention, bearing in multi-layered, specifi c bond between the mind the fact that staggeringly high per- parent state and the individuals together centage of modern countries, in greater with the groups from both sides of the or lesser percentage of its population, border, and greatly asserts nationalism contains one or more national minorities in its radical form, also motivates the which hold a certain amount of confl ict bearers and the followers of irredentist potential inspired by the secessionist and strategies to make the ultimate sacrifi ce expansionistic aspirations. in order to achieve the supreme goal, i.e. How can we defi ne irredentism? Th e to unify all kinsmen into one country. previous studies of the domestic au- Th e primary goal of this paper relates thors have not given much attention to to the analysis of irredentism, identi- this phenomenon, which was mainly fi cation of its causes, nature and mani- observed in the context of the complex festation forms, which helps us to estab- discordant relations between the Serbs lish adequate typology of this complex and the Albanians in the territory of phenomenon. Taking into account the Kosovo. On the other hand, the foreign fact that irredentist ideas create strong publications have acknowledged the se- nationalist mobilization, and represent curity signifi cance of this occurrence, a factor that strengthens national unity, and the numerous authors, trying to they potentially produce a serious secu- defi ne irredentism, have delved into the rity threat and generate a multi-level se- fi elds of security intelligence, alongside curity challenge. international relations, but also into the Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the fi elds of sociology, political science and world has become much more econom- psychology, which gives the irredentism ically, politically and culturally interde- multidisciplinary characteristics. pendent, but economic inequalities have Taking into the account the fact that the intensifi ed globally, which has signifi - research authorities both in domestic cantly infl uenced ideological-identity, and foreign publications have defi ned religious, national and ethnic diff er- diff erently this multi-layered occur- ences producing international security rence, it is important to emphasize that instability. In the past decades, we have the majority of the researchers are unit- witnessed ethnic diff erentiation on nu- ed in the attitude that when it comes to merous grounds, but we have also oft en irredentism there are several key partak- witnessed the interference of other states ers - apart from the ethnic groups with and military coalitions in the internal the irredentist potential, the existence aff airs of sovereign and internationally of the “host state” and the “parent state” recognized states, which is the basis of is essential. Th e “host state” refers to the potentially tragic irredentist policies. country which is inhabited by the mem- Regardless of the dramatic eff ects which bers of the certain ethnicity with the ir- it causes to the internal aff airs of a coun- redentist potential, i.e. the members of try, the relations of that country with the people who aspire to leave the cur- neighbouring ones, but also the eff ects rent country to unify with the members NBP • Journal of Criminalistics and Law Vol. 25, No. 2 40 Malbašić, Z., Trbojević, M. (2020). Defi ning irredentism as a security phenomenon of their own people, who are usually the to self-determination, revisionism, an- majority in the neighbouring country. nexation, and especially with occurrence On the other hand, the “parent state” of secessionism, which alongside its represents the subject of the internation- manifestations is the closest to irreden- al law, which expresses the attention to tist strategy. In numerous publications merge the territory inhabited by its kins- the parent state is oft en called “kin-state” men with manifested secessionist poten- or “homeland-state”, and these terms tial and refuses to acknowledge the cur- mostly serve as a more accurate defi ni- rent state’s authority on the questionable tion of the country which tends to have territory. Th erefore, when defi ning irre- the historical and ethnic bonds with the dentism it is essential to bring this phe- separatist-irredentist group in the other, nomenon into a correlation with other most likely neighbouring country. numerous phenomena, such as the right THE ORIGIN OF IRREDENTISM AND ITS “LONG-LASTING” CHARACTER Even though an aggressive expansionis- aft er the forming of Italy as a country, tic politics is present ever since humans and he brought the concept of the “unre- have started to unify into the organized deemed” directly together with the terri- political communities, terminological tories which were, at that time, inhabited defi nition of unifi cation of all kinsmen by the members of the Italian people and into a distinctive international legal sub- located in the former Austro-Hungarian jectivity occurred in the second half of Empire. Following its founding princi- the 19th century. Th e origin of irreden- ples “Association for the Unredeemed tism as a movement is connected to the Italy” primarily commended absorption Italian nationalistic thinkers, who con- of the “unredeemed territories” Istra, tinued the heritage of Risorgimento, a Dalmatia, Trentino, together with the culturological and political movement cities Tirol, Trieste, to the newly formed to unify Italy which lasted throughout Kingdom of Italy, previously separating most of the 19th century. Namely, the fi rst these territories from Austro-Hungarian ever to use this term was Matteo Imbri- Empire. Considering that all the nation- ani, the founder of the nationalistic or- alistic leaders of the Kingdom of Italy ganization better known as “Association called the above mentioned regions and for the Unredeemed Italy” (Associazione cities terra irredenta (“unredeemed ter- pro Italia irredenta), which was found- ritories”), the name irredentism denotes ed in 1877 with the goal to unify all the every doctrine envisioned with the goal territories inhabited by Italians into one to unite ethnically, geographically and common country, using the national eu- historically immediate parts of popula- phoria aft er the fi nal Italian unifi cation. tion of the neighbouring countries into In the article “Italian Italy” - L’Italia degli one common political frame (Chazan, Italiani (Janković, 2014: 227), Imbriani 1991: 1). A successful irredentist strate- is particularly focused on “unredeemed gy in Italy introduced the concept of ir- brothers”, i.e. the kinsmen who remained redentism (irredentismo, irredento, Latin beyond the borders of the parent state redimere: redeem, liberate or release) NBP • Journal of Criminalistics and Law Vol. 25, No. 2 41 Malbašić, Z., Trbojević, M. (2020). Defi ning irredentism as a security phenomenon to a wider purpose on