Some people thought that the European Union project would dampen down pressures for bits of European nation states to seek secession. The idea was that we would have a ‘Europe of the regions’ with citizens less concerned about which country they beloged to. It hasn’t happened like that.<\/p>\n
In EU nations both large and small, there are many cases of sections of the country wanting not simply more autonomy but actual independence. The break-up of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union has added to the multiplicity of territories seeking nation state status.<\/p>\n
The “Guardian” newspaper today has an interactive map identifying no less than 16 places that want to be countries in their own right – see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n I have mixed feelings about such developments. On the one hand, as a democrat I favour self-determination if citizens feel oppressed. On the other hand, as an internationalist I oppose sectarianism and fear that separatism often heightens rather than resolves differences of ethnicity or language.<\/p>\n I am reminded of a conversation I once had with someone in Tel Aviv when we discussed whether Iraq would or should fragment into three new states. The conversation led me to write a short essay for my web site in which I addressed the questions:\u00a0How do we define a nation state? Who decides whether a territory is to constitute a state? How do we deal with those who do not identify with the state?<\/p>\n