There are currently 195 sovereign states in the world. Almost every human being on the planet is a citizen of a nation state. However, countries are becoming less defined. As globalization takes hold, more people are adopting an international outlook. Borders are becoming less clear as nations join together into trans-national blocs. So, is there even a future for the nation state? Can we be sure there will always be countries? Well, actually yes. And let us explain…
1. Nations Are Key To Peoples Identities
A first reason why there will always be countries is because people see nations as being key parts of their identities.
People all over the world identify with their nation. A person’s nationality is often one most important parts of their persona, as well how they relate to others. All over the world people are immensely proud of their nations and often feel it says something about them. The fact that countries are so key to so many peoples identify is one reason why they will always exist.
As well as those for whom their country’s part of their wider identity, there are also people who are fiercely patriotic. Nationalism as a political movement is on the rise globally. The trend is that people are increasingly becoming nationalist and feel that their national identity is a key driver in their political decisions.
…this only goes to further show that people feel their nationality to be hugely important to them, and therefore there are always going to be countries.
2. Countries Provide Protections
A second reason why there will always be countries is because nation states provide a range of protections for people.
Nation states bond people together. Borders around countries keep people outside of the nation’s interior. For centuries countries have existed partly to protect people from attack. The armed forces of a country are used to protect its boundaries. The government of a nation sets the laws within its territories and enforces security through policing. Many people are protected by being within a nation state, and as a result there are always going to countries.
As well as the protections from harm that a nation state can provide, countries also provide their citizens with a range of public services. National governments run schools, healthcare systems, utilities and build infrastructure. They also set economic policy and determine relations with foreign states. These services and protections are only accessible to citizens of a nation.
…because there are not only protections, but also benefits of being the citizen of nation, very few people believe that there will not always be countries in the world.
3. The Global Economic Order Relies On Nation States
A third reason why there will always be countries is because the current global economic system relies on nation states.
Global trade is the backbone of the world economy. Businesses compete to produce products and services that they can sell domestically, but also internationally. Many companies rely on imports and global supply chains to source either parts or all their products. This system of international trade is dependent on nation states, and as it’s the core to the world economy as we know it, it’s one reason why there will always be countries.
Businesses may develop the products and services to trade, however the infrastructure, laws, protections and support needed for globalization requires nation states. Military force is also used, often implicitly, to protect global supply chains from rogue state and piracy – this is another way that countries are vital to the global economic order.
The modern world economy is almost entirely dependent on an inter-connected network of independent nation states. This is why countries are almost always going to exist.
4. People Are Trying To Create New Countries
Another reason why there will always be countries is because people are still trying to make new ones.
There are currently more than 60 active separatist movements in the world. Many of these are peaceful political movements who are advocating for part of an existing country to break away and form an independent nation. However, some are armed rebellions where people are fighting, and dyeing, to form a new nation state. The fact that so many people around the world passionately believe in independence shows that people still want countries to exist.
In the last 20 years, five countries have become newly independent states. There also around a dozen or more that have the possibility to become new nations over the coming years. On top of this, there are currently 16 unrecognised or partially recognised countries in the world – these are de facto independent nations but that lack international recognition.
New countries are still being created, either by regions breaking away to form internationally recognized nations, or break-away regions going their own way regardless of the opinions of the global community. These two facts show that there are always going to be countries.
5. The Nation State Has A Long History
One reason why there will always be countries is simply because countries have been around for so long.
It’s almost impossible to track when and where the first nation states came into being. However, we know for thousands of years people have formed themselves into defined communities with borders that were ruled over by a form of government. For almost as far back as we know, people have essentially lived in countries. This is a clear sign that countries are going to always exist.
Throughout history people have used nations to protect themselves, create systems to police and create order, and to have rulers who decide the laws citizens must follow. Countries go so far back in human history that you could almost believe there is something inherent in the human condition that makes us want to form into nation states.
Not all the countries of the world throughout history have looked exactly like the modern nations of today, but the core attributes of the nation state have almost always existed. This is why there will always be countries.
6. There Is Strong Support For Having Nation States
A final reason why there will aways be countries is because people still want to live in nation states.
Ask almost anyone in the world and very few people would say that want to do away with countries. Although there are some small fringe groups who believe in removing border and governments, or essentially doing away with nations states, these groups have almost no real public support. The vast majority of people globally want to continue living in countries, and this is one big reason why they will always exist.
Most people see the benefits of living within a country. Although few people think their nation is perfect, the protections, economic benefits and identities it provides people means almost no one wants to genuinely do away with countries.
As we’ve discussed, nationalism and patriotism are on the rise. Really, there are more people who feel passionately about having a country and what that represents to them than almost ever before. There is simply no public support for doing away with countries, and this is why they will always be here.