Q9. Explain the birth of the modern nation-state concept and its implications for IR.

Question 1

When and how did the modern nation-state come about?

Answer 1

• The modern nation state came about with the notion of sovereignty.
• This can be traced back to the Peace of Westphalia.
• This is the beginning of when authority was given to individual rulers over defined territories

Question 2

What were the implications of the establishment of the nation-state on IR?

Answer 2

• because the establishment of the nation-state set the tone for the modern world order where the rules of international politics were best followed if a land carried out the characteristics of a nation-state.
• The birth of the modern nation-state system has led to the state-centric approach to IR which we use today. As we see through international organizations, the State is the primary actor today.
• Without recognition by other states, a state has no concept of being today.
• This concept has also led to the necessity to strictly define territorial borders. Borders are less fluid as they once were during times of, say, the Roman or Ottoman Empires.

Question 3

When did the nation-state come about?

Answer 3

The Napoleonic Wars and French Revolution

Question 4

Describe the element of a ‘state’

Answer 4

• A state should provide security and effective governance to the people within the defined territory.
• In order to do these things it must have control over these people.
• Today, when there is no control over a territory by the government it is called a** failed state**.
• A state should control its population.
• The best way to do all of these things is through a **taxation system. **This is one of the biggest features of government.

Question 5

Describe the elements of a ‘nation’

Answer 5

• concept of a nation was formalized at the end of the 19th century.
• A nation is what makes a land a political subject. Where the people living within certain boundaries become a nation through shared norms.
• Saiye Abbott, one of the thinkers behind the French Revolution and author of the pamphlet “What is the 3rd State?” sees a nation as a political corporation.
• Many define a nation as a territory where people have a shared culture, shared language and common descent, so to that end, how can we call a new country a nation if its people were there before it?
• The idea of a nation encompasses the idea of a sense of community. This is what produced nationalism. Nationalism is very important today in IR and international politics.

Question 6

What were the effects of the birth of the modern nation-state concept?

Answer 6

• transformed the landscape of international relations, emphasizing state sovereignty, national interest, and the state-centric nature of the international system.
• While the concept has provided a degree of stability, it has also given rise to challenges related to nationalism, identity, and territorial disputes in the realm of international politics.
• Think of the so-called ‘two-state solution’ between Israel and Palestine and what is going to today, this is simply not working.
• Before Westphalia and especially before the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars there was more fluidity in borders and the movement of people. This has to do with less nationalism and less governance by one major ruler seeking to take over an entire land.
• Today, we see that nationalism has come to be the main reason for the demise of modernity.
• The two World Wars came to question this, and now we live in a post-modern era. **Nationalism has become too extreme **and is leading to our demise.