Borrowing Is Good: Seven Rules of Ethnic Politiccs

Ariel Zellman long ago posted Stuart Kaufman's Seven Rules of Ethnic Politics.  Given current discussions about Ukraine on twitter, I felt compelled to tweet them.  But since some folks are not on twitter, and they are easier to appreciate as a set rather than a series of tweets, here they are:

1. If an area was ours for 500 years and yours for 50 years, it should belong to us – your are merely occupiers.

2. If an area was yours for 500 years and ours for 50 years, it should belong to us – borders must not be changed.

3. If an area belonged to us 500 years ago but never since then, it should belong to us – it is the Cradle of our Nation.

4. If a majority of our people live there, it must belong to us – they must enjoy the right of self-determination.

5. If a minority of our people live there, it must belong to us – they must be protected against your oppression.

6. All of the above rules apply to us but not to you.

7. Our dream of greatness is Historical Necessity, yours is Fascism.

The other way to write rule 6 is , of course, we will pick whichever rule is most convenient for us and least for you