'Coalition Politics' author Juliet Kaarbo on Scottish independence
Juliet Kaarbo, author of Coalition Politics and Cabinet Decision Making: A Comparative Analysis of Foreign Policy Choices, recently spoke at a conference in Edinburgh debating the issues surrounding the possibility of Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom. Though Scotland gained its own Parliament in 1999 along with some "devolved" powers of state, the question of full independence remains a thorny issue. The Scottish National Party, lead by First Minister Alex Salmond, came to power in 2007 on a promise to hold a referendum independence, though the government has not yet been able to deliver. At "A Question of Independence: Scotland's Place in the World," a conference held by the Scotsman newspaper, Dr. Kaarbo gave a talk entitled "Foreign Policy considerations for small countries" and also took part in a Q&A session. According to the Scotsman's coverage of the symposium, Kaarbo told attendees that an independent Scotland would need to establish a new own identity as a "small country," similar to how Switzerland is known for its neutrality.
