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States and Their Future
General Analysis
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States and Their Future
Articles
2008 | 2007 | 2005 | 2002 | 2001 | Archived Articles 2008
Tibet, Palestine and the Politics of Failure (May 9, 2008)
In this openDemocracy article, the author argues that the existence of nations is not a question of fate but the result of power-politics, accidents or wars. For example, the article describes Tibet and Palestine as victims of “post-colonial sequestration.” “Amid the retreat of imperial or hegemonic powers,” bad timing or bad leadership prevented them from gaining independence at a decisive moment in history.2007
Under Pressure: States in the Global Era (September 2007)
In this report, Laura Tedesco, Associate Fellow at FRIDE, Peace, Security and Human Rights programme, points out that state formation is a long and dynamic process influenced by many national and international factors. States are constantly evolving and since the Cold War, globalization has accelerated the process of change. “Fragile states” often have difficulties adapting to the new global order and have come to rely on international aid. But the report warns that international donors should be careful not to undermine domestic policies by imposing a Western conception of the state.2005
‘We the Peoples,’ Not the States (September 2005)
The UN system was founded on state sovereignty and protection from foreign intervention. From human rights to the provision of peace, sovereign states provide most social services. Whether weak or strong, some states either cannot or do not perform these functions. In their place, NGOs represent “popular sovereignty” by conveying the will of “we the peoples,” as set out in the UN Charter. (Le Monde diplomatique)
Return of the Nation-State—and the Leviathan (November, 2002) 2002
The Bush administration’s unabashed unilateralism reveals its imperial desire to “sweep away . . . civil society participation, citizen diplomacy, and multidimensional forms of conflict prevention.” This article warns, “we are entering into an imperial world order maintained by a Leviathan nation in search of monsters to slay.” (Interhemispheric Resource Center)Think Again: Nation Building (Sept/Oct 2002)
Looking at recent case studies, Foreign Policy recommends that “the international community set more modest goals for nation building and then tailor those goals to each country's reality” to avoid a quagmire.States of Discord (March/April 2002)
“Will globalization ultimately strengthen or destroy the nation state? Will it lead to more democracies or more revolutions?” A Foreign Policy debate attempts to answer these complex questions.Conditional Legitimacy, Reinterpreted Monopolies (March 2002)
Anna Leander of the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute argues that “the international society of states” and private actors have challenged the nation-state’s “monopoly on legitimate violence” as well as the definition of “legitimacy.”2001
The Future of the Nation State (November 14, 2001)
Sociologist Anthony Giddens argues that three different types of nation states exist and that globalization transforms each one in a different way. He concludes that the nation-state has come closer to “a universal form” but with a different kind of sovereignty and “administrative control of political power.” (London School of Economics)UN Report on Globalization and the State (November 2, 2001)
The impact of globalization compels to redefine the nature and the role of the state to take account of the emerging political, economical, and cultural changes.First, Do Not Harm (October 26, 2001)
Globalization has weakened nation-states like Afghanistan. The debate on Afghanistan’s political future is now whether foreign intervention promote human rights and democracy or is tainted with self-interested imperialism. (In These Times)The Rise of the Brand State (September/October 2001)
Peter van Ham argues that the production and export of goods has created brand-name countries. He argues that the attachment to brands supplants nationalist feelings although it “lacks the deep-rooted and often antagonistic sense of national identity and uniqueness that can accompany nationalism.” (Foreign Affairs)Globalization and the Nation State (April 7, 2001)
Jayantha Dhanapala, UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, argues that the nation-state should remain relevant but more adaptable to the forces of globalization. He adds that NGOs should not reduce the role of the state but use its apparatus to achieve their goals.Archived Articles
