Four subjects are dealt with: the confusion between self-determination and separatisms; self-determination as a point or as a process; the mystery regarding who the “self ” in self-determination refers to; and the link between self-determination and democracy. As for the first topic, the author maintains that self-determination cannot be identified with political separatisms, since it is a form of “social being”, of “collective existence”. Its great political power lies to the fact that it is perceived as essential for reaching objectives that are valued morally and shared socially, such as control over one’s own life and destiny. As such, it cannot be a point, a single political event. The author holds that it is indispensable to make a collective effort to find a rigorous criterion - revising the approaches so far used in international law and adopted by governments - by means of which to define those who claim the right to self-determination. It is also necessary to strengthen the tie between self-determination and democracy. He states, in fact, that the violence that often accompanies such phenomena is due not to self-determination but to its negation, and this is incompatible with democracy, which can prosper only by respecting the right of peoples to self-determination. The challenge is to transform these basic principles into effective political and legal institutions.
