More Wisdom from Derbyshire

Another interesting post from the NRO Corner from John Derbyshire.

A New Nation [John Derbyshire]

Montenegro has voted for independence (from Serbia).

This will (they still have to do the thing formally, this was just a vote) complete the breakup of the old Yugoslav federation. I suppose an uncharitable person, perhaps one with an eye on Iraq, might conclude that the moral of the whole sad mess has been that people would rather live in a small, un-diverse nation than a big, diverse one. But that, of course, would be wrong, wrong, wrong.

In case you miss the point, we live in a 'big, diverse one,' one that Derbyshire seems increasingly out of sorts with. The whole issue gets Jonah Goldberg pining for the Hapsburg Empire, of late great fame. For myself, I always had a soft spot for the Ottoman Empire. After all, it gave us most of our marching band equipment and traditions.