This is a region which exists within two modern nations, having territory in both northern Spain and southwestern France, within the western Pyrenees Mountains. It also boasts its own language, which is very different than the French and Spanish languages. This region is close to the Bay of Biscay off the Atlantic Ocean, and has a population of about 3 million people, of which about 30% are actually from other parts of Spain, having migrated away from their homeland because of the presence of jobs during previous eras of industrialization. The region enjoys a warm, humid, and wet oceanic climate along its Atlantic coast, while its highlands in the Pyrenees enjoys a more continental Mediterranean climate.
History
These Basque people have been around for a long, long time, being present even before the Romans came with their empire, and created the mining operations so famous in Roman history. The Romans even mention some tribes of the Basque people, such as the Aquitani, in their history of the region. Some anthropologists claim that they are some of the last remnants of Paleolithic peoples who lived in western Europe before the later migrations of people who became the French and the Castilians (Spanish). They long have tried to fend off outside kingdoms and rule, but eventually became absorbed into modern day Spain in the 1500’s (the Spanish conquest of most of this region took place between 1512 and 1524), and the rest into France in the 1600’s.
Over the years, they have had long periods of time where they were self-governing, or semi-autonomous, but other times where their culture and language was suppressed. For example, on the French side, its level of self-government continued to be reduced until the French Revolution, when self-rule was completely suppressed, and the modern department (divisions) were created, resulting in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. In recent history, on the Spanish side, only in the past quarter century or so have they been given freedom to have education in their own Basque language, while on the French side, their language and culture has been suppressed entirely.
Should these people be given their own independence? In this case, the answer is a toss-up. It might actually be better economically for them to remain part of their constituent national states, but be given a higher degree of autonomy, becoming again, like they have at times in the past, semi-autonomous and self-governing. This is especially more so on the French side. In their case, there is the possibility that them becoming their own independent nation would work, especially if they then joined into the European Union, becoming part of that region’s economy, but it would probably be better if that region stayed part of its respective countries, as doing so would be more beneficial to them from an economic standpoint and larger world picture.
It could also be argued that the French and Spanish governments would be best to come together to hammer out an agreement to allow the Basque region, on both sides of the international border, to unite together under a single semi-autonomous and self-governing region, that works for everybody. As for the United States government, or other governments of the world, getting involved, I don’t think it would be a good idea in this case, as Spain and France are both developed, civilized, and peaceful nations (more peaceful than the United States anyhow, at least that is how they are perceived) who can manage and handle their own affairs – other countries would just be interfering in the affairs of others in this case.
