The Post-1989 Era as Heyday of the Nation-State?

摘要

It is widely held that contemporary globalization is bringing about the decline of the nation-state. This article questions this assumption, using a historical perspective to make the case that it is only in the wake of the global transformations since 1989 that the principle of national self-determination has truly had the opportunity to come into its own. It is precisely the supranational structures associated with contemporary globalization that have the potential to facilitate political independence for small nations without the attendant geopolitical and economic vulnerabilities that condemned such undertakings to catastrophic failure in earlier eras. Despite the dangers and abuses historically associated with the nation-state, the alternative of unbounded political communities carries even greater potential risks.