Watch out for ripple effects of Scotland's independence vote
Richard Halloran says Scotland's coming independence vote is creating waves and is bound to stoke similar calls elsewhere, whatever the result
In September, the voters of Scotland are slated to go to the polls to decide whether their nation will become independent or remain in the United Kingdom. The decision will have at least two far-reaching consequences if the voters choose to secede.
First, this would be the last strike in breaking up the British empire that started with the American Revolution. This will further dilute the influence of Britain in the international arena.
Second, the Scottish vote will undoubtedly have a ripple effect on separatist movements elsewhere - even if Scotland remains in the UK. That will be especially true in Asia and the Pacific, maybe even in Hawaii.
Two months before the September 18 referendum, pollsters say Scots who prefer to remain in the UK have garnered more votes than those opting for independence. But Scottish nationalists assert they will close the gap before the vote.
has urged the Scots to stay, arguing that they will be more prosperous within the UK. But the magazine acknowledges that, emotionally and politically, "it is the nationalists who have fire in their bellies".
Scotland and England formed the United Kingdom in 1707, at which time Britain had begun to acquire colonies in the Americas, Africa and Asia. But even as the UK built the empire on which, it was said, the sun never set, moves towards shedding British rule surged.
