Rhodesia: the Catalan Alliance's benchmark to achieve independence

Barcelona"Today Lithuania, tomorrow Catalonia". Paintings with this slogan appeared all over Catalonia Aliança Catalana now introduces a new player: Rhodesia. What is now Zimbabwe was an unrecognized state, governed by a white minority, which emerged when it unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 to avoid a black majority government, with the end of colonization. The independence, which was effective from 1965 to 1979, aimed to perpetuate the power of the 240,000 white people who lived there versus the 4.5 million Africans, who did not have the right to vote and from whom they took their land, which caused a bloody conflict that lasted a decade.

The Republic of Rhodesia was not recognized by either the United Kingdom or the UN due to the refusal of white supremacists to guarantee that the new government would be elected by universal suffrage. The resistance of Smith's government to the international isolation it suffered is a precedent that Aliança takes as an example in the restitution of the Catalan state. This is the fourth phase that the far-right party foresees on the path to independence: the first would be to proclaim the DUI with an independence majority in Parliament; the second, to control the territory, and the third, to establish a new legislative framework. And this is where Jordi Aragonès, the secretary of studies and programs of Aliança, gives the example of Rhodesia. The party's ideologue,

already explained it in an article in the magazine

Esperit, highlighting that Rhodesia managed to maintain its economy more or less and establish relations with other states, despite the harsh sanctions imposed on it to prevent its survival. But how did it do it?

The Rhodesian strategy to circumvent sanctions consisted of using the infrastructures of other states to bypass sanctions. Thus, Smith's government received the invaluable support of South Africa, where apartheid operated without concessions with brutal repression. Thus, Pretoria financially subsidized Rhodesia, which used its airport to sell its products as if they were South African. It also used ports in Mozambique to export its goods as if they were from Portugal, which was administering that territory. "The creation of a new state generates an immediate demand for infrastructures, services, and systems that is highly attractive to companies and financial actors from all over the world," argues Aragonès, who concludes that "however strong the enemies may be, if Catalonia restores its state, there will be many companies interested in making millionaire deals." And he gives the example of Israel, which sold weapons and technology to Rhodesia in its search for allies not aligned with the Arab bloc or the USSR.

Andorra, the ally?

Alliance, to circumvent the offensive from Spain and the EU, fearful that other stateless nations might follow suit, opts for "seeking allies among Madrid's enemies", such as Israel itself, but also puts on the table a state that is very close to us: Andorra. "Strategic cooperation with Andorra can become a key element in ensuring a stable and recognized transition", explains Aragonès, who considers it "essential that they see a unique opportunity to enrich themselves economically" and that they are clear that "no official recognition of the Catalan state will be expected from them". In this regard, the ideologue believes that Andorra could play a role for Catalonia similar to that which South Africa or Mozambique played for Rhodesia: "That is to say, to become a neutral territory from which to re-label our exports and get them, by land or air, to international markets, in exchange for a commission for our Andorran allies".

To ensure the operability of the Barcelona - Andorra la Vella axis, the far-right party opts to take advantage of any negotiation during the autonomous stage to achieve that three strategic infrastructures pass to co-management or co-sovereignty regimes between Spain and Andorra. They speak of the N-145, which in case of rupture with the State could be one of the few open land routes to the outside; the N-260, which acts as a direct axis to the Andorra - la Seu d'Urgell aerodrome, and the third infrastructure is precisely this airport, which Aragonès emphasizes "would allow commercial or logistical flights to operate under an Andorran flag, just as Air Rhodesia did with Johannesburg airport when it re-labeled its flights". To pave the way, Aragonès advocates for influencing the election of the bishop of Urgell and co-prince of Andorra so that he is "sensitive to the Catalan cause". For the ideologue of Aliança, the lesson is clear: "Intensifying the strategic relationship with Andorra can make the difference between suffocating isolation and viable resistance".