As the Ukrainian crisis escalates, Christopher Borgen, Professor and Associate Dean for International Studies, has shared his expertise on international crises and secession with various international new outlets. In this interview (starting at 10’20), Professor Borgen spoke to Radio France Internationale about secession and irredentism in Crimea. Professor Borgen was also interviewed on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) newshour on the question of self-determination for Crimea. In addition, Al Jazeera quoted Professor Borgen in this article on the crisis. Here’s an excerpt:
Despite the unprecedented nature of Crimea’s request, most analysts agree that Russia’s rationale for supporting it — that ethnic cleansing of Russians could arise if Crimea is left under the control of the new, anti-Russian government in Kiev — doesn’t hold water. “Some have argued that the world community should be more accepting of secession when there’s an issue of long-term, severe, oppression — but only when there are facts to support that finding,” said Christopher Borgen, an international law expert at St. John’s University School of Law who has written extensively on the separatist crisis in Moldova. “As a matter of law, that is highly controversial. As a matter of politics, Russia would need to persuade the world there had been long-term oppression in Crimea and that secession is the only viable option.”
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