Editing Secession (section)

=== Arguments against secession ===
Allen Buchanan, who supports secession under limited circumstances, lists arguments that might be used against secession:<ref>Allen Buchanan, ''Secession: The Morality of Political Divorce From Fort Sumter to Lithuania and Quebec'', Chapter 3, pp. 87–123.</ref>
* "Protecting legitimate expectations" of those who now occupy territory claimed by secessionists, even in cases where that land was stolen
* "Self defense" if losing part of the state would make it difficult to defend the rest of it
* "Protecting majority rule" and the principle that minorities must abide by them
* "Minimization of strategic bargaining" by making it difficult to secede, such as by imposing an exit tax
* "Soft paternalism" because secession will be bad for secessionists or others
* "Threat of anarchy" because smaller and smaller entities may choose to secede until there is chaos, although this is not the true meaning of the political and philosophical concept
* "Preventing wrongful taking" such as the state's previous investment in infrastructure
* "Distributive justice" arguments  posit that wealthier areas cannot secede from poorer ones