Excellent Friday Discussion

I was ecstatic that within class; we cited our blogs, literature we’ve read for class, and the podcast lecture and synthesized it into several strong arguments. I felt the class discussion over whether or not territorial integrity was the greatest concern to the leader of a nation-state was very thought-provoking. The more we talked, the more I realized territorial integrity meant far more than simple defense of borders from marauding nation-states. In fact, my previous post claiming civil institutions were the most vital concerns to a state’s interest ended up having a role in the security situation of a country. Culture, alliances, subservience, military strength, geography, and economic power were all ideas proposed for how various states secure their borders and continue to exist and flourish.
Coming into this class, I thought the nation-state was a slowly dying institution, outdated but readily adapted because the world is comfortable with it. When I left class, I see that statehood is a factor that should not be overlooked. United States domestic and foreign policy creates an image and a sense of identity that we all share. In the past, after Europe became a powerful trade bloc, blurring the lines of statehood, I thought this was a sign of things to come, and considered it progress. But after Friday’s discussion I have come to the conclusion that the nation-state is alive and well, and it will remain that way for quite some time. The entire point of a nation-state is to unify the populace behind one government and a single identity. Looking at all the things we discussed as security matters; I realize that I’ve gone to several years of public school, been to American hospitals, watched American television programs, and watched firefighters attempt to save a house. These little occurrences foster a sense of unity and pride that is not unique to any one nation-state, although America seems to have the whole self-promotion aspect down. What other nation openly tells people it’s the best in the world? In other words, I believe the nation-state will remain alive because of our shared identity and I now believe that conglomerates of states will continue to grow, but this does not signify the beginning of the end for the nation-state.