The Scottish Independence Question: A View from America
"What we see now is a clear contrast between the patient, calm-waters exposition of how an independent Scotland can and should hold its own—economically and politically—and the fever-pitch narrative of the pro-union forces."
Taken together, these factors test to the utmost the credibility of a truly “united” kingdom and the notion that Scotland is “better” within it. Indeed, as one observer—not a Scot, but in fact a resident of Hyderabad, India—recently stated in simple terms in the Financial Times: “The Scots have always been a nation and are now asking for their own state.” That would seem to state the obvious—and the desirable.
David Speedie is a Senior Fellow and Director of the U.S. Global Engagement Program at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York. The views expressed in this article are his own and not those of the Carnegie Council. This article draws on past works from Mr. Speedie (see here and here).
Image: Wikimedia Commons/The Laird of Oldham/CC by-sa 2.0
