The Rain in Spain is a Conflict With Catalonia No One Can Explain

The Spain/Catalonia referendum controversy is becoming a bit of an uncomfortable issue, isn't it?
The way I look at it, on many levels, it's a bit different from the situation with Kurdistan, because:

- allegedly, over 60% of Catalonians actually don't want independence; it's their government that pushed for referendum.
- Catalonia is the wealthiest part of Spain, and some argue that the referendum is just posturing to get more autonomy and additional tax benefits from Spain.
- the degree of autonomy Catalonia currently has is much less than what Kurdistan enjoys, and it's unclear how it will sustain itself as an independent force.
- Catalonia does not seem politically prepared for such a step and does not have independent semi-formal diplomatic relations with other countries, the way KRG does.
- Catalonia would have to restart the entire process of application to the EU as a member state from scratch, just as EU warned Scotland it would in the event of its secession.
- I get the sense that outside EU, most people have no idea who Catalonians are or why they even want independence.

That said, Catalonians do have a legitimate long history of conflict with other parts of the country and wanting to break free. And unlike Basques, their independence movement has been peaceful, without the disturbing history of terrorism. Spain seems intent on denying Catalonians any opportunity to leave (probably out of financial considerations, and also fearing that it would encourage other parts of the country to fall away), and has cracked down on the referendum long before it actually happened by siccing police on the buildings where the ballots are being printed and arresting government officials. Spain also declined to increase the degree of autonomy that the Catalonian government has demanded.

In response, Catalonians have been marching in unbelievably numerous mass gatherings (all peaceful), some of which have met with a push back from the police.
Frankly, it's not looking like it's going anywhere good, and Spain is mishandling the situation just about as badly as one can mishandle something that may not have been all that serious when at the outset, but is NOW indeed growing into a national movement, likely all because of Spain's over-the-top response, which appears to be disproportionate and undemocratic. This little known conflict that no one even cared about even a week ago is now generating international attention, sympathy from the national determination types, and is making the Spanish government look outdated, colonialist, tyrannical, and terrible, whatever the merits of their arguments against the Catalonian secession may be.

We are living in interesting times. I don't know that Spain actually WANTS or is ready for a civil war, which would require massive resources, bloodletting, bearing with international condemnation, and worse yet, possibly losing. But I also don't see how it can afford to lose face at this point by simply giving in to Catolonian secession. The wiser step for everyone would have been a negotiation over terms for increased autonomy for X number of years, at which point, it could have been reviewed and MAYBE at that point the referendum could have been reconsidered. Instead, Spain is falling victim to its own greed.

Not being particularly close to either party, I am rather dispassionate about the ultimate outcome, outside, of course, wishing for a peaceful conclusion to the crisis. Just as interestingly, I find that this recent propensity for breaking away of colonial barriers, is causing nation states to fall apart into increasingly small and potential weak entities, while simultaneously, many of the European countries facing these identity questions, are struggling to absorb millions of mostly Muslim refugees from countries with very different histories and cultures, while also contending with their own failing demographics, and angry populist movements of every imaginable political background. In other words, this crisis is just yet another episode in the increasingly volatile situation in Europe, and a great illustration of what happens when you fail to deal with identity issues in a healthy, thoughtful way early and often.