And their effect is quite the opposite – despite the desperate flag-waving – of the oft-remarked “resurgence of the nation state”. In fact, there have been many moments in history when politics was suddenly expanded to a new, previously inconceivable scale – including the creation of the nation state itself. Europe, of course, invented the nation state: the principle of territorial sovereignty was agreed at the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. And, as the growth of digital currencies shows, new technologies will emerge to replace the other fundamental functions of the nation state. The era of national self-determination has turned out to be an era of international lawlessness, which has crippled the legitimacy of the nation state system.

Source: The Guardian April 05, 2018 05:02 UTC