Indonesia, previously ruled by just three men since declaring independence in 1945, has had plenty of experience of those.

ECONOMIST: Indonesia

This slight culminated in a more fundamental failure: while America was still hoping that Mr Gorbachev could reform the Soviet system, Russia and the rest were declaring independence.

ECONOMIST: The world in their hands | The

The ex-Yugoslav country became an official EU candidate country in December 2005, more than a decade after declaring its independence.

BBC: Macedonia's EU accession