Catalonia’s leaders and Spain's government were eyeball to eyeball and Catalonia blinked first; now the Catalan regional government has eight days to drop its independence bid or lose its political autonomy. With Catalan secessionism fueling the worst crisis that Spain has faced since the end of the dictatorship forged by Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War, is there anything Spain’s friends and allies can – or should – do to help?
- Ana Palacio says the Catalan separatists’ call for international mediation would pose a severe threat to democracy and the rule of law – and not only in Spain.
- Shlomo Ben-Ami thinks the Catalan cause is lost, because no European country would see any political advantage in facilitating its independence.
