Nation-State System

Nation-State System is like a special club where the land and the people come together as one big family. It’s like a country ruled by the people, for the people, who all feel like they’re part of the same gang. The cool thing about a nation-state is that it ties the government part (state) to the cultural part (nation), and it gets its power from the people who believe in it. So, if you’re into the idea that a country becomes official just by saying it is (declarative theory), rather than waiting for others to agree (constitutive theory), then a nation-state is your kind of place!

Origin

Some early thinkers suggest that the birth of the nation-state in the 15th century was a bit of an accident, brought about by a mix of smart ideas in politics and economics, capitalism, and map-making tech.
On the flip side, some folks believe that nations were already hanging out, and the call for self-rule led to the creation of the nation-state. Then there are those “modernization theory” folks who think that governments played matchmaker, uniting and modernizing existing states.
Most agree that the nation-state is a Euro invention, helped along by things like mandatory schooling, widespread reading, and the power of the mass media.

Characteristics

Nation states view their territory differently from dynastic monarchies. It’s almost like their land has a semi-sacred and non-transferable essence. Unlike in dynastic monarchies, they wouldn’t consider swapping territory just because a royal marriage occurred.
Nation states have a unique approach to borders. Essentially, they are defined by the settlement area of the national group, although some also consider natural boundaries like rivers and mountains. Interestingly, these borders are more flexible, leading to constant changes in population size and power due to fewer restrictions.
The standout feature of nation states is how they use the state as a tool for national unity in various aspects – economically, socially, and culturally. An example of this is the establishment of the Zollverein in Germany, which promoted national unity by abolishing customs and tolls.
Nation states typically have a more centralized and uniform public administration compared to their imperial predecessors. This is attributed to their smaller size and less diverse population. The result is the creation of a uniform national culture through state policies.
The concept of the nation state suggests that its population forms a united nation sharing common descent, language, and culture. In cases where this unity is lacking, nation states often make deliberate efforts to create it.
Examples include Germanisation, Anglicisation, and Russification, which aimed at fostering unity within their respective nations.

Nation States in Practice

Nation states where a single ethnic group makes up more than 85% of the population include the following:

Bangladesh: Almost everyone in Bangladesh, around 98%, belongs to the Bengali ethnic group. The remaining population includes Bihari migrants and various indigenous tribal communities.

China: In China, about 92% of the people are Han Chinese, mainly residing in the eastern part of the country.

Japan: Japan stands out as a nation state, and it’s home to a population exceeding 120 million. While there’s diversity, the majority of the people identify as Japanese, contributing to the sense of a unified nation.

Portugal: Throughout its history, Portugal has maintained a consistent population within its borders since the Roman era. The Romanization or Latinization of the native population during that time has led to the modern Portuguese identity, creating a sense of continuity over the centuries.

Challenges

Most current challenges to nation-states are not new, and some of them are as old as the nation-state itself. However, for several decades, accelerating processes of globalization have challenged nation-states’ capacity to contain, control, and harness flows of people, economic capital, and cultural materials and to confine politics to public spheres and institutions and to relationships with other nation-states. Among the pressures imposed in varying degrees on all nation-states are the following:

Immigration

When large numbers of migrant workers and refugees enter a country, it often leads to increased cultural and ideological differences, particularly when the newcomers’ religion and culture differ significantly from that of the host society.
The concentration of immigrants in urban ethnic enclaves can contribute to a sense of separation and tension between different groups, fueling potential conflicts.
In situations where immigrants do not assimilate into the broader society, it tends to exacerbate existing tensions between the majority and minority groups, potentially leading to intergroup violence.
Example: The Rohingya Refugee crisis in Myanmar and the treatment of Uyghurs in China serve as poignant illustrations of these dynamics, where the clash of cultures and ideologies has resulted in significant social and political challenges.

National Disintegration

In recent decades, there has been a growing economic gap between different regions within countries, contributing to increased tensions and the emergence of identity politics. This phenomenon, known as Balkanization, is marked by a rise in separatist aspirations among certain ethnic groups, which can potentially lead to national disintegration.
This trend is evident not only in younger, postcolonial nations in the developing world but also in well-established Western countries with strong republican traditions, such as the United Kingdom and Spain.
The combination of economic inequality and identity politics has created a fertile ground for secessionist movements, posing challenges to the unity of these nations.

Global Civil Society

These new social movements and NGOs are pushing for a broader conversation within nation-states. They want to go beyond the usual focus on national security and resource distribution. Instead, they’re urging discussions on the unique identities and lifestyles of nonnational communities.
The second challenge is that these movements and organizations often collaborate across borders. They build transnational coalitions and leverage advanced media technologies to take their causes beyond their own nation’s borders. Through these efforts, they aim to engage with the public in other countries and navigate the vast virtual space where a global civil society has emerged.

Global Capitalism and Neoliberalism

In the later part of the 20th century, the world saw a significant shift towards global interconnectedness in production, consumption, and finance. Big multinational corporations gained immense influence, making it harder for individual countries to enforce protective policies and control the movement of people across borders.
This global trend was accompanied by the rise of neoliberalism, an idea that promotes free markets and minimal government involvement in economic and social matters. International institutions like the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund played roles in reinforcing this ideology, making it challenging for nations to engage in long-term economic planning and regulation. Additionally, the ability to sustain collective social welfare systems was undermined.
An example illustrating these dynamics is Brexit. The decision to leave the European Union was influenced by concerns related to immigration, economic factors, and a growing sentiment of anti-establishment politics. The interconnected global landscape and the dominance of neoliberal ideals played a role in shaping the circumstances leading to Brexit.

Challenge to Nation-Based Citizenship

In certain countries, groups of people from different ethnic backgrounds are questioning the usual concept of citizenship. They argue for their rights based on principles that go beyond national boundaries.
Instead, they look to international agreements that acknowledge the rights of individuals as human beings or the rights of specific minority and indigenous communities.

Religious Extremism

The contemporary reinvigoration of religious extremism (which some scholars believe to be a counterreaction to globalization) poses two types of challenges to nation-states.
First, within nation-states, religious extremists threaten interfaith coexistence, and they challenge the institutions that help to maintain ethnic, religious, and gender diversity through integration, inclusion, and power sharing.
Second, as a force external to nation-states, religious extremism (e.g., the variant of Islamic fundamentalism represented by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant [ISIL]) seeks to replace nation-states with theocracies.

Right now, it looks like no other big international effort is really giving nation-states a run for their money—not even the European Union. The EU mostly acts like a cool team-up and hasn’t really formed a strong group identity that could overshadow the national identities of its member countries. So, a bunch of smart folks think that, despite some tricky situations, nation-states are here to stay as the main way we organize politics and territory. They’ll be the go-to spot for political power and authority on the global stage for the foreseeable future.

Read Also: Rise of Nationalism in Europe