Hi Mervyn, Your post assumes that language and culture are the basis of nationality. Sometimes yes, at other times no. India has a very complex identity, based not on shared language (though many component regional states have been recrafted on linguistic lines in 1957 and therafter) or similarities in culture.
In the US, I guess shared economic interest forms the basis of the nation -- not race (as the icon of Obama underlines), religion (though it has been used in politics), etc. WIth economic in-migration into Europe, the nature of the nation state is changing too. FN 2008/12/1 Mervyn Lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Most of the former colonies in Africa are artificial states. > The colonist used rivers to make borders. In most countries, the river was > the base of the civilization with people on both sides speaking the same > language and sharing the same culture. -- FN * Independent Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org M: +91-9822122436 P: +91-832-2409490
