Comments on: Borders http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/2008/03/16/borders Asking the Stupid Questions since 1971 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:56:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: David http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/2008/03/16/borders#comment-35984 David Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:54:33 +0000 http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/2008/03/16/borders#comment-35984 In my eyes, the main reason two people don't get along is a fundamental difference in world views. This correlates strongly with ethnicity, and if one geographical region is heavily made up of one group, I don't really understand why people want to keep them "unified" with another, especially if they clearly don't get along. Sure, the country as a whole would get weaker since it would end up smaller, and I can see how the majority would be upset at losing the natural resources, etc., that they might have been able to control with a unified country, but this "nationalism" is just a selfish rationalization for dominating a neighbor that has so little in common with you to be absurd. IMO, a government should guarantee a "right to exit" as a fundamental human right. This includes the right to emigrate, and the right for a region to exit the political system entirely, by way of secession. How differently would a government behave if it knew that its population could just leave it piecemeal? In my eyes, the main reason two people don’t get along is a fundamental difference in world views. This correlates strongly with ethnicity, and if one geographical region is heavily made up of one group, I don’t really understand why people want to keep them “unified” with another, especially if they clearly don’t get along. Sure, the country as a whole would get weaker since it would end up smaller, and I can see how the majority would be upset at losing the natural resources, etc., that they might have been able to control with a unified country, but this “nationalism” is just a selfish rationalization for dominating a neighbor that has so little in common with you to be absurd.

IMO, a government should guarantee a “right to exit” as a fundamental human right. This includes the right to emigrate, and the right for a region to exit the political system entirely, by way of secession. How differently would a government behave if it knew that its population could just leave it piecemeal?

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