The European countries of today are the result of centuries of war and conquest of power over minorities. The formation of nation-states has often had to create processes of homogenization that destroy important cultural differences in order to establish the authority of their governments. But the original city-states were more free-market oriented, open to other cultures, and less protectionist than their bigger neighbors. Returning to that independent form of government would do wonders for Europe's economy and culture.
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