The country you personally most respect

[Amor de Cosmos]

True enough. Though the original Cascadian vision offers a means of resolving them, or at that's the intent/theory/hope at any rate

[1974ddr]

Where's Melania? I'm sure I've heard of it, but I can't find it in my atlas. I should probably buy a new one, I'm not convinced that Rhodesia and Ceylon exist any more.

[ursus arctos]

Amor, does the original Cascadian vision even include the parts on the other side of the mountains? There are already movements in Eastern Washington and Oregon seeking to secede from the coastal regions

[Hot Pepsi]

I don't see a way that the US could break up, peacefully or otherwise, and I'm not sure it could happen in Canada, though it might be easier there. I feel like the world would be better overall if that happened in the US, but some places would get a lot better and others would probably get a lot worse.

Unless I'm forgetting something, we haven't even had states split since the Virginia/West Virginia split in the Civil War and there are lots of quixotic efforts to do that - Long Island, parts of California, East Colorado. Some people in Killington, VT want it to be part of NH even though it's not on the border.

[Nesta]

Sicily

[Amor de Cosmos]

Amor, does the original Cascadian vision even include the parts on the other side of the mountains? There are already movements in Eastern Washington and Oregon seeking to secede from the coastal regions

Yes. Though it's subject to debate:

The proposed country or region largely would consist of the Canadian province of British Columbia and the US States of Washington and Oregon. Including all parts of the bioregion, Cascadia would stretch from coastal Alaska in the north into Northern California in the south, and inland to include parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Yukon. More conservative advocates propose borders that include the land west of the crest of Cascade Range, and the western side of British Columbia.

Most Cascadians, however, stand behind the bioregional definition.

[ursus arctos]

That broad a footprint would of course make it exponentially more difficult, but I'm sure that they realise that.

HP is right in noting that these ideas have been around for yonks without ever coming close to fruition, but it is also true that there are relatively small polities that are increasingly the political opposite of the states in which they find themselves. At the same time, the political balance of power is such that the emergence of new entities can be seen as an existential threat by one side, as the advocates of statehood for DC and Puerto Rico have found out.

[Hot Pepsi]

Sicily

The Mafia is stil strong there, isn't it? That's not just a stereotype, I've come to learn, nor is it benign.

[Hot Pepsi]

That broad a footprint would of course make it exponentially more difficult, but I'm sure that they realise that.

HP is right in noting that these ideas have been around for yonks without ever coming close to fruition, but it is also true that there are relatively small polities that are increasingly the political opposite of the states in which they find themselves. At the same time, the political balance of power is such that the emergence of new entities can be seen as an existential threat by one side, as the advocates of statehood for DC and Puerto Rico have found out.

I don't understand the Puerto Rico situation. It seems like being a US territory is worse than being either a state or a country, but this is one of many topics I've never had time to really get into.

They are considered part of the US for purposes of the MLB draft, but separate for the purposes of international baseball competition. That seems to illustrate how they're treated by the US at large - they're part of the US when its convenient for big business and not when it's not.

[Duncan Gardner]

Sweden gets my vote. If only for the welcoming sign at Malm? Port. Lisa gives head

[San Bernardhinault]

One problem for Cascadia is that it would include the already separatist "State of Jefferson", which is basically an excuse for the racist redneck desendents of loggers and believers in environmental destruction to escape the libtards in Portland and Sacramento. Creating a liberal, left-coast nation that includes Jefferson would not please the Klamath Falls brigade and you'll have an armed insurrection from the get-go.

[Amor de Cosmos]

That broad a footprint would of course make it exponentially more difficult, but I'm sure that they realise that.

HP is right in noting that these ideas have been around for yonks without ever coming close to fruition, but it is also true that there are relatively small polities that are increasingly the political opposite of the states in which they find themselves. At the same time, the political balance of power is such that the emergence of new entities can be seen as an existential threat by one side.

Oh for sure, though the concept has grown steadily as Wiki notes:

A research study by the Western Standard in 2005 found that support for exploring secession from Canada was at 35.7% in British Columbia, and 42% in Alberta.^[35] While difficult to gauge support specifically in Washington and Oregon, because no research has been done for those states, a nationwide poll by Zogby International in 2017 found that 39% of Americans support a state's or region's right to peacefully secede from the United States, the highest rate since the American Civil War.^[36] However, none of these studies are specifically about forming an independent Cascadia. The movement saw much discussion in the 1990s,^[27] and while the increase in security and American nationalism after the September 11 attacks set back the movement's momentum for some time, the concept has continued to become more ingrained into society and the public consciousness.^[27] In January 2011, Time magazine included Cascadia number eight on a list of "Top 10 Aspiring Nations", noting it "has little chance of ever becoming a reality"

I don't think there's a cat in hell's chance of it happening in my lifetime, or for several years beyond. It is a very appealing idea though and worth sustaining for that reason alone, particularly in times like these.

[Hot Pepsi]

How big is this fascist state of Jefferson? If it's fairly small, Cascadia could just put a fence around it and if they want to burn it all down inside and shoot each other, then maybe that's just as well.

[ursus arctos]

Gonna need some more fence

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Is it bad to have learned about these places through the Fallout Games?

[Hot Pepsi]

Gonna need some more fence

Am I right to assume its main export would be weed?

[ursus arctos]

Hard to say given the fact that much of the cannabis business is still underground, but I would guess that lumber, fishing and "standard" agriculture may be higher. Cannabis is primarily a coastal range crop and more established in California than Oregon.

[scratchmonkey]

There's also plenty of Californians well South of that (in fact, off the bottom of that map) who have State of Jefferson placards on their land.

[Hot Pepsi]

There's also plenty of Californians well South of that (in fact, off the bottom of that map) who have State of Jefferson placards on their land.

Well then they can move to Jefferson. Addition by subtraction for New California.

[Hot Pepsi]

Hard to say given the fact that much of the cannabis business is still underground, but I would guess that lumber, fishing and "standard" agriculture may be higher. Cannabis is primarily a coastal range crop and more established in California than Oregon.

I’m told that area around Eureka is “The Emerald Triangle.” Maybe if it were legal, it could be regulated and wouldn’t do so much environmental damage.

[jameswba]

Czech Republic and Slovakia for managing a peaceful divorce.

They kept on seeing each other and are back living together.

Actually, it would be remiss not to put a word in for Slovakia. Two years ago, the country saw hundreds of thousands of people on its streets protesting about the murder of a journalist. Some estimates say the numbers were actually greater than in 1989. The prime-minister, interior minister and chief of police all quit their posts.

Now, an 'anti-corruption coalition' is in government and the country should be included - but isn't always - on the list of those whose handling of Covid-19 has been particularly successful.

No guarantee that things won't turn crap again, and the government hasn't had time to start reforming the instittions yet. Still, at this exact moment, it's not a bad country to be in at all.