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Seaver, I have to reject your rejection of the "post-modernist historical thinking". I think that I can successfully argue that the same issues of colonialism ARE showing up all over the world. A list of examples - Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Algeria, Western Saharah, Nigeria, Ethiopia/Eritrea, India/Pakistan, China (up until the mid to late 1970's) and southern Mexico. All of these (with the notable exception of China) are artificially created entities that have or have recently had struggles for power among various ethnic groups who live in close proximity. China made my list for the reason that it was a closed society that rejected Western trade and influence for 40 years stemming from the colonialism and open racial warfare practiced by the European powers at the turn of the last century.
Honestly, I think your examples of Martinique and Austrialia are pretty ridiculous since Martinique is a French Department (the equivalent of a US state) and is considered an actual part of France with representatives and a say in national policy. It is no way, shape or form a colony and has not been for a number of years. Australia, on the other hand, is thoroughly overrun by Europeans, primarily by descendants of British expatriots. By your same logic, Canada and the US would be on your list of terrorist producing states, as would South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.
I wholeheartedly agree that there are many problems facing post-colonial countries, but one that cannot be rejected is the artificial nature of many of these entities.
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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
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"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo
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