> My point is not that independence has been a universal disaster, merely
that
> there has been no strong correlation between the strength/success of
> nationalist movements and the standard of living in following decades.
Yes, I agree with that. Much depends, I suppose, on the yardsticks one uses to assess progress. e.g. Average life expectancy has gone up in the developing world from 25 to 60 in 50 years. By that standard, almost everyone is better off.
Ulhas