The one constant in the world is that people disagree. We disagree on how governments should be run, which religion is the right religion, how the Earth began, and the list goes on. The fact that we do not agree on everything is what brings diversity to the world, which, in my opinion, makes it a better and more interesting place. This is why the current system of territorially sovereign nation-states is working, at least better than our global system has worked historically.
Eradicating borders and blending the world into one continuous country would not solve any of our current issues. Although theoretically, this would be the quintessence of human existence, it is impossible. With the world organized into sovereign territorial nation-states, different beliefs systems, different governments, and different ideas are able co-exist. Clearly, it is not a perfect system. However, it relies on a balance of power that has seemed to function reasonably well in the years of its implementation. The state of European stability in the 1700’s relied on the idea that “once one state seemed to be gaining preeminent power, others would naturally come together to defeat its ambitions” (Nation-State and Global Order, 85). This allows for the preservation of the various cultures throughout the world. Furthermore, it has been a natural process through which we reached this point in history. As of now, this is the system that works appropriately enough.
I believe that we have reached a point where we are civilized enough to tolerate differences of opinions, for the most part. However, this only works when we are separated into areas of our general belief system, our nation-states. The issue comes into play with the acceptance of a contrasting opinion. The United States would never give up its foundational freedoms in order to gain better relations with any of our enemies. Whenever we reach the point where that is possible, then territorially sovereignty may need to go. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.
I definitely agree on you points made! To expand off of some of your ideas, can you imagine America and other power nations sharing space and other resources with other nations? America, for one, is proud of her developments and technology. By merging into one large mass, America becomes devoid of these unique specialties and is forced to share.
ReplyDeletePut another way, powerful nation-states are selfish and paranoid. We are afraid information of nuclear arsenals will be leaked to other countries. We like hoarding pools of oil to be used in our economy for our people. Without borders, we are forced to share. We are forced to share not only our natural resources but our culture as well. This in turn goes back to your point of "preserving various cultures throughout the world." Like you said, we are proud of our cultural identities and some nations would be hesitant to take on a new personality. Because of this, I agree that it is important to have separate nation-states.
To be an advocate for the "impossible" notion of a unified state, Id like to simply say that such an ideal is not impossible. However, I will say that a unified world would take a tremendous amount of effort.
ReplyDeleteTo explain my point I would like to bounce off Elana's comment of, "...can you imagine America and other power nations sharing space and other resources with other nations? America, for one, is proud of her developments and technology. By merging into one large mass, America becomes devoid of these unique specialties and is forced to share." This situation is like that of siblings. Sharing isn't always fun and someone always feels cheated , but eventually things work out. By learning how to share an individual (or in this case a state) becomes less spoiled and more considerate. Eventually it becomes second nature to put others before you or at least consider them in every decision. If the sibling scenario doesn't reach you then maybe one of charity will. If an individual or collective is able to give money/goods to a cause without the expectation of receiving some good in return, doing it out of pure moral enlightenment- why can't the world (abstractly) give compromise each day? That is, why can't an individual/collective give other views, ideas, solutions, etc. a shot and only refute them if they fail?
Secondly, America doesn't lose her identity when becoming part of a whole. When I enter into a group I am still the same eccentric person i was prior to the formation of the group, only now i am part of something bigger. By submitting myself to this group, the group may be more inclined to bring about progress. Just think of America today. She has already been mixed. America isn't simply a melting pot, its more of a tossed salad. This is in regard to the mixing, no matter how much you mix everything up and all the ingredients become a salad, the tomatoes, lettuce, dressing, onion, etc. still remain what they are. A muslim is still a muslim in American society, regardless of how many Christians he comes into contact with. With that said, hasn't America proven that we can all "mix" and still remain individuals? Only the mixture brings about more harmony, order, and happiness through public debate and opinion.
I, personally, am someone who enjoys unique cultures and traditions mostly because my parents are Chinese but I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, so I was able to grow with a mix of cultures throughout my life. Imagine a world where everyone has the same cultural background, wouldn’t that be a little bland? One of the things that I enjoy when traveling outside of the country is experiencing the different cultures that each country has to offer. A culture that is unique from the one I know. If the world did not develop into the sovereign territorial nation-states that we have today, I feel that there would have been little to no variation of cultures. The fact that, as you’ve mentioned, “people disagree” has help shape the world into what it is today. That is not to say that the concept of a “unified state” is not good or impossible. On the contrary, I believe that there already is a unified state and that is America, a country that is made up of mixed cultures from all over the world and is open to accept new ones. I feel that America alone is enough, however. This does not mean that it stops here. As time pass, people change and how we feel about something today may not be the same tomorrow. I would not be surprised if, in the future, a group of people decides to divert themselves from their country and form a new nation.
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