Who: Bask and Spanish state
About: Independence and secession from Spain
Where: North East Spain
What happened:  People within Basque country seek more autonomy or independence from Spain. In 1978 Basque country was granted more autonomy, however groups within the region are still seeking full independence. One of these groups is ETA who strives for independence by sometimes committing violent acts. Anybody who has studied history or international conflict, whether at university or at http://www.elearners.com/ will know that similar struggles have taken place and continue to take place around the world. Separatist movements can be found on most continents. They are conflicts that are extremely difficult to resolve.

Basque country is a region in the North of Spain and the south of France and has a language of its own. Some Basque separatists, mostly organised within Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) which means Basque Homeland and Freedom, seek to create Basque country. There is conflict over the Spanish Basque part with the Spanish government.

Origin of the Conflict
Basque nationalism originates from the nineteenth century and was first expressed by Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV) which promoted the creation of a Basque country. Conflict arose when dictator Franco came to power in 1939, after the Spanish civil war, and severely repressed Basque country because he envisioned one, great Spain. Supporters and members of the Basque party were arrested or killed and the Basque language and flag were prohibited. ETA was created as a response to this harsh repression and in order to fight for the independence of Basque country.  

Chronological timeframe
After Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos became king of Spain. He reigned more democratic than expected and many regions – among which Basque country- became more autonomous. In 1978 however, Batasuna was created, a party aligned to ETA and which demanded full independence. In 1995 Batasuna and ETA presented the ‘Democratic Alternative’, a proposal to the Spanish government to recognise Basque sovereignty and right to self-determination. As a compensation ETA would stop its activities. Spain responded neither to this offer nor to the proposal of Basque president Juan José Ibarretxe for a more autonomous Basque country within Spain. The Spanish parliament rejected it. Batasuna was banned in 2003, which the Basque people considered an attack on Basque nationalism. As such, the party is still active. The last severe attack by ETA was in 2003, after that there were some attacks without casualties. In 2006 ETA announced a cease fire in order to initiate a new democratic process in Basque country. Nowadays it is an autonomous region with its own government and parliament.  

Actors involved
ETA: this party wants independence for Basque country. Until this moment the Basques have been denied independence which is why they commit attacks to gain attention. Because of these attacks they are considered as terrorists.
Spain: wishes Spain to remain united. If Basque country gains independence, other regions may wish to separate from Spain as well.   
 
Response of the international community
The international community considers ETA a terrorist organisation, which means that it condemns ETA for its attacks. Since Spains’ adhesion to the European Union, Spain has cooperated with France to fight ETA.