Belgium 'abolished'

[AndreA]

en

Originally Posted by Asick

You can call me a non modern person or a populist , but I really guess many nations do deserve independence much more than these pseudo-countries you listed above. I mean Curds, Abkhazians, Basques, Tibetians etc. These are real nations which are different from their 'owners' (often they are from another group of ethnoses) and who have been fighting for their right to get independent, while all these Andorra (in fact Catalonia), San Marino (Italy) etc. at present are too tiny and too similar to their neighbours to be really independent. So, either Curds and Basques should be independent too or Andorra should be Spain and San Marino should be Italy, the rest is unfair.

Well, I understand you and your point of view is right. We have to think about REAL nations not yet live. But we have to respect other specular situations too, small is not less respect. For example San Marino: they are NOT Italy. They have italian culture and language (as Ticino in Switzerland, but no one is thinking that swiss part is... italy), but a real important national story. Yes, San Marino is the fifth least-populous sovereign country in the world but it's the oldest constitutional republic still in existence today. Not only. During the early phase of the Italian unification process of the 19th century, San Marino served as a haven of refuge for numerous persons who were persecuted because of their support for Italian unity. In memory of this support, Giuseppe Garibaldi accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state. Well they are so close to Italy, but so proud for the independence too.

[Asick]

Originally Posted by AndreA

Giuseppe Garibaldi accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state. Well they are so close to Italy, but so proud for the independence too.

Actually I know this story, but I believe a separate nation (from ethnic point of view) has more rights to get independent than a part of the same (or almost the same) nation that got a bit separated for some historic reasons. I don't want San Marino to join Italy , don't treat my words as any offence, I just mean it's not fair play while Curds or Tibetians are not independent and San Marino is. It's just because it was much easier to get independence and to change borders in 19th century than now when borders are in fact frozen, but do you think national minorities should be glad because of that change in rules?