Nations and States: Key Terms

Nations

A country is a large collection of people sharing a common culture, language, and history. Some nations have a similar ethnicity (for example, practically everyone in South Korea is Korean), whereas others have ethnically diversified populations (the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Singapore, for instance). Members of a nation, on the other hand, view themselves as interconnected. Members are frequently treated as if they’re a part of a larger family. Many citizens of a country are proud to be a part of something greater than themselves, and they celebrate their country.

People are divided on what defines a nation. The concept of nationhood can occasionally go beyond geographical limits. Even though the majority of the world does not consider them to be nations, certain groups consider themselves to be nations. Kurds dwell in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, for example, yet many Kurds believe they are part of a Kurdish nation. Furthermore, citizens of a nation may differ in a number of ways, such as speaking multiple languages and engaging in diverse cultural activities.

In the end, defining what comprises a nation is a subjective concept. People may identify as citizens of a variety of countries, although their loyalties may shift throughout time. The identification’s intensity differs as well. It’s difficult to draw a line between an ethnic group and a nation. To put it bluntly, an ethnic group becomes a nation the minute it begins to see itself as one. The Kurdish people, for example, formed a nation when they began to see themselves as an ethnic group with a shared language, history, and culture that differentiated them from the Turks, Arabs, and Persians who lived nearby.

States

A state is a political entity with authority over a certain area of land. Sovereignty is the highest level of power in a territory. As a result, the state has the authority to enact laws, defend its borders, and implement policies. The state also has a monopoly on the lawful use of force within its borders: no organisation within its borders can use force without the state’s authorization. In the United States, the term “state” refers to something more like a “province” (the difference being that American states have more political autonomy and power than provinces in most other countries). However, political scientists use the term “state” to refer to sovereign governments.

Nation-States in the Future

Despite the fact that the nation-state has controlled political structure for the majority of the previous several centuries, its future is uncertain. Two tendencies suggest that the nation-state is decreasing in relevance, yet these trends occasionally contradict one another. Nonetheless, globalisation and devolution significantly speed up in the twenty-first century, and both will have an impact on the future of nation-states.

Globalisation

Globalisation is the first important trend. National borders have collapsed in a variety of ways over the last few decades, including economically. Money and products go across borders in large volumes and at incredible velocities in today’s really global economy. Many firms produce parts in a number of countries before assembling them in yet another. For example, most things are no longer “made in America” because much of the production takes place elsewhere while the final assembly takes place here. The globalisation of the economy has been accelerated by the fast growth of international investment. Because globalisation frequently leads to transnationalism, the nation-state may give way to a transnational government if this pattern continues.

Globalisation’s Dangers

Globalisation has been attacked by people all around the world since the mid-1990s. Globalization is regarded by environmentalists as a disaster for the environment, labour unions as a danger to their members’ jobs in a global economy, and others as a source of poverty in developing countries. Although most countries continue to support globalisation, anti-globalization protests have established a name for themselves by interrupting meetings of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other international economic institutions. Thousands of demonstrators besieged the hotel and conference venues where World Trade Organization meetings were being held during the so-called Battle of Seattle in 1999.

Transnationalism

At the political level, transnationalism has also happened. International organisations like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are more significant on the political scene, and nations join them for a variety of reasons, including military protection and economic security. In the case of the European Union, national borders are largely irrelevant. All internal tariffs and trade barriers have been removed, allowing individuals to freely travel, reside, and work across the European Union. Some residents consider themselves as citizens of a newly formed European Union nation, or of their smaller nations. Governments and organisations that compete on a large scale physically transcend geographical and political boundaries.

The World Trade Organisation, the United Nations, and the World Bank are just a few examples of international organisations that occasionally serve as governments or play a significant role in international affairs. The Organisation of American States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries are examples of other international institutions.

The fact that a rising number of individuals speak the same language all over the world indicates the transnational tendency. Although English has become somewhat of an international language, many people speak other languages (such as French, Chinese, and Russian). Overall, the number of languages spoken is declining, while the number of speakers of a few prominent languages is growing.

Devolution

The expansion in political authority granted to local governments, often to the point of autonomy, is the second trend that defines the decline of nation-states. states are said to be devolving authority back to local governments, this process is commonly known as Devolution. In the United Kingdom, Scotland, as well as Catalonia in Spain, have been granted significant autonomy. If the current tendency continues, local governments will ultimately take over the function of national or central governments.

Conclusion

Our nationality, like an ideology, influences how we think and behave about politics. The nation-state has been the dominating political entity for much of the last 500 years. However, nation-states were not always existent. Indeed, throughout much of human history, other political forms controlled the planet, and the nation-state is a comparatively new occurrence. Even if the recent growth of globalisation and devolution threatens to fundamentally transform global politics, the nation-state still rules supreme.