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I don't think ICANN should retire a domain namespace just because a political entity that it used to represent no longer exists. Cool URIs don't change [1].

[1] https://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI.html

I suppose it avoids awkward politics. It's not clear to me, at least, which country would get to control the former Czechoslovakia TLD.

.an also was phased out when the Netherland Antilles dissolved

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.an

I see. I thought it was very strange as no comment & so random.

Also interesting is who is still using it:

> Among the institutions still using this domain is the Russian pro-Vladimir Putin youth movement Nashi, as well as by the pro-Russian armed insurgency in Eastern Ukraine. Some organizations with roots in the former Soviet Union also still use this TLD.

> The domain has been reported to host many cybercrime activities due to the lax, outdated terms of use, and staying out of focus (2% usage comparing to the primary .ru zone).