Re-drawing the map of Europe to match the ethnic groups

When Woodrow Wilson proposed re-drawing the map of Europe to match the distribution of ethnic/national groups, his idea was viciously attacked by his advisers. Why might it be a good idea to make political boundaries correspond with nations? Why might this be a bad idea? The map of Europe has not simply been scorched by the consuming heat of our time: it has been, in large measure, destroyed. Only a few remains are left, to testify to its previous existence and to its transient character.

Political boundaries, long established and generally regarded as permanent, have been swiftly burned away. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Urals, from Archangel to Salonica, modifications are demanded, modifications are in process, which will introduce, if not a new heaven, at least a new earth.