Ryan McMaken (https://mises.org/McMaken) is executive editor at the Mises Institute. He is a cohost of the Radio Rothbard podcast (https://mises.org/RothPod) and the War, Economy, and State podcast (https://mises.org/WES), and is the author of *Breaking Away: The Case of Secession, Radical Decentralization, and Smaller Polities* and *Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre*.
Ryan McMaken grounds his lecture in the classical liberal right of self-determination, a people’s right to leave a larger state and govern itself. He calls the American Revolution the prototype for every breakaway movement since and follows the idea through Hungary and the postwar decolonization of Africa and Asia.
McMaken argues that constitutions and courts can’t shield a permanent minority for long, since the judges are appointed by governments the majority elects. Small states have to compete for people and capital, he says, which pushes them toward lower taxes. He credits Europe’s rise to its political fragmentation, when a merchant facing a tax hike could move down the river to a friendlier prince.
He also answers the security objection. Military strength follows wealth per person more than size, he argues, and Ukraine inherited part of the Soviet nuclear arsenal yet came through the breakup peacefully. Asked by a Nigerian attendee how a region can reduce the uncertainty of leaving, McMaken said the successful cases secured trading partners and foreign recognition before they broke away.
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