Re:Catalan referendum: 'Hundreds injured' in Catalan clashes
by monort on Tuesday October 03, 2017 @10:49AM
(#15392763)
They will cooperate if they have a threat of invasion, they won't cooperate to have a large standing army - and that is a good outcome. For example see mutual defence of Switzerland cantons before federal state.
Re:Catalan referendum: 'Hundreds injured' in Catalan clashes
by _Tev on Tuesday October 03, 2017 @10:58AM
(#15392823)
How will they contribute to NATO then? Your point was that they don't need political alliance to be in a military one, my point is that this is practically impossible.
Also good luck with making an army from nothing just in time before invasion.
Edit: and you are still ignoring weakness of such states on economic level.
Re:Catalan referendum: 'Hundreds injured' in Catalan clashes
by monort on Tuesday October 03, 2017 @01:41PM
(#15394332)
History shows it was possible in cantons of Switzerland, Habsburgs couldn't conquer them, despite no federal authority. There are still examples of small countries in military alliances today - I don't see what is the problem with contributing.
Economics is not a problem in a modern world with a free trade. Small city-states, that embrace free trade, fare well. There is even an possibility, that trade liberalization leads to political disintegration: https://www.nber.org/papers/w6163
Re:Catalan referendum: 'Hundreds injured' in Catalan clashes
by _Tev on Tuesday October 03, 2017 @07:19PM
(#15397047)
Imo Switzerland is poor example and free trade cannot be guaranteed for small states in today's world but I guess we will not convince each other in this limited debate . .. Let's agree to disagree.
And if they pool money to form an army - how will be the funding determined? Some states will want more defence, some less, some will prefer naval power, some airpower . . .
if those people can't agree on anything to such extent that they want to be entirely separate, how would they agree on anything when they would have even less incentive to cooperate? See how dysfunctional EU seems at times today, and this would be way worse . . .
Especially when you start considering other forms of warfare, like trade. Solving all problems leads right back to something resembling either superstate or close coalition of large states.