Punch and Judy
Sir: While I agree with everything Noel Malcolm says about Bosnia (Letters, 14 August), it is difficult to believe that the Serbs have no more formidable an advo- cate than Sir Alfred Sherman; but both of your correspondents argue about the iden- tity of Bosnia for the purpose of determin- ing whether it is a nation in terms partly of its boundaries under foreign rule. I have never come across a better definition of a nation than Enoch Powell's: 'a people who believe themselves to be a nation', or words to that effect. Past history under foreign rule is surely not conclusive for the purpose of determining whether a territory is a nation. But, to be fair, neither is it irrele- vant. We call ourselves British because Bri- tannia was the name of a Roman province, and each of the several administrative divi- sions of the Spanish empire in South Amer- ica has become a modern nation.
The behaviour of the Serbs is cruel, con- temptible and revolting whether Bosnia is a nation or not.
D. E. Folkes
5 Queens Walk, Ealing, London
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