It is the death knell for the old professional diploma tists' view that the break up of large units is always to be resisted. Now we need a new world order that recognises people's yearning for self-definition, however they choose to define themselves, however small the enclaves they wish to create. In a globalised economy it scarcely matters what size of democratic unit people choose to create. Money flows across borders and people will anyway be forced to trade closely with their neighbours. Old blocks may break down, but they will re-form as de facto federations, so long as this devolution happens with as little bitterness and bloodshed as possible.
Democracy is a missionary faith.
It had to stifle its evangelising during the cold war but now it needs to stretch its wings more bravely on the world stage. Of course all this is in the future while China still stands in the way, solidly blocking any move within the UN that interferes with countries' internal affairs. But at least while China inches slowly towards a more open society, we should clear our own minds about the nature of universal freedom and what that must mean for the old nation states. The aspirations of Kashmiris and Kurds, Basques, Kosovans, East Timorese and countless more groups who want their freedom, deserve to be recognised. That, of course, is what terrifies Indonesia, an extreme example of the fragile artificial nation with its thousands of fissiparous islands.