Aspinall argued further that there were two milestones for the “path-dependent” development of Aceh separatism: 1945 – 49: Aceh played an important role in the revolution and war of independence against the Dutch and consequently was allegedly able to extract a promise from then-President Soekarno during his 1947 visit to Aceh that it would be allowed to implement Islamic law (or syariah) following independence.
Aspinall berpendapat lebih lanjut bahwa ada dua tonggak jalan sejara berkembangnya separatisme Aceh: 1945-1949: Aceh memainkan peranan penting dalam revolusi dan perang kemerdekaan melawan Belanda dan akibatnya disinyalir mampu mendapatkan janji dari Presiden Soekarno saat kunjungannya ke Aceh pada 1947, bahwa Aceh akan diizinkan untuk menerapkan hukum Islam (atau syariah) setelah perang kemerdekaan Indonesia.