And surely this is a major reason why Madrid refuses to allow Catalonia/Barcelona or the Basques to become independent. It's understandable, but ultimately it's immoral. This is kinda a curve ball, but I think that a Babel Fish-type technology like in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might be greatest enabler of independent small states establishing reliable mutual defense networks because then they don't need a common language to form those networks. Maybe then Madrid will be more comfortable with letting the provinces become independent. Of course, I'm also a linguist, and to a hammer, everything's a nail.