Believe in the concept of nation-state?
Do you believe in the concept of nation-state? All the borders that we have drawn today to identify nations are mostly based on culture and religion. With globalization there is a lot of mobility and a lot of population transfer across the world. With many countries (not all) framing laws that allows the immigrant population to practice their culture and religion, it takes many generations (sometimes it never happens) before those immigrant population start to lose their ancestral culture, ethos, values and religion (through marriages, disconnect with their ancestry etc) and start identifying more with the native population. In such cases, what are the traits that you look for or expect from the immigrant population before you consider them as one of your own countrymen? Or, how and when do an immigrant identify himself as a citizen and not an immigrant? Is it even necessary to amalgamate with the native population to be considered as a true citizen? I feel that holding a passport of some country is a necessary but not a sufficient condition. Your opinions?
I read an idea somewhere that with increased mobility and loss of national identity, govt will become more like a service that seeks to attract citizens via different policies, etc. I can't recall where I read this.
That’s why corporate tax rates are collapsing. Money is more mobile than people.
That is what I'm getting into... With loss of national identity also comes loss of culture. Also the notion of nation state falls apart. I think we need to do much more to preserve diff cultures that have developed over many centuries. I do not completely agree that we are in a state where govts will try to attract ppl to their country. We are seeing quite the opposite in the past 6 8 yrs. Govts across the world are becoming more nationalistic and are trying to shoo away the immigrants.
Believe in? It’s a current political reality. But if you mean “believe in” as in “support” then - no. Nation states are a political construct and have no link to “culture” - no organic link anyway. Borders are mostly from wars or imperial divvying. The concept of national culture is usually born out of a dominant group of a region imposing it’s political and cultural hegemony over the whole region: Prussia for Germany; Paris for all the French Provences; London for Scottish, welsh, Cornish, Irish etc. France, for example, was still having to force provinces to speak French in the 20th century. Nation states are only a few hundred years old and serve to create different trade and production regions in the way that feudal fiefdoms marked land and peasants ownership by this or that aristocrat or groups of lords under a prince. Currently we see “citizenship” being used in the US, China, India, Israel/Palestine etc as a weapon by rulers to control populations. Nations are imaginary concepts... groups of people are not. We need democracy (rule by real people) over nationalism (rule by whoever through a bs appeal to an abstract notion of some mythic shared destiny).
You lost me at nation states are only a few hundred years old.
Uh, I don’t know what to tell you if basic modern history facts “loose you” The idea of nation-states predates the establishment of the US by only about a century. It wasn’t until after the 30 years war that the concept of a nation-state (as opposed to fiefdoms and Christendom etc) emerges in modern Western discourse. Ideological nationalism is even newer... starting in the mid 1800s. Ancient and classical empires didn’t have a concept of this, feudal systems didn’t have a concept of this, etc.
Yes, I believe in nations because I believe in protecting my community. Nations are the only thing keeping me and you from being killed in constant anarchy and warfare. What do I expect from my compatriots? Loyalty.
Before nations it was the prince and pope who kept you safe from being killed in constant chaos and warfare or by dragons... except when the prince and popes were conscripting you into chaos and warfare so they could gain an edge on their rivals and expand their power. Nationalism is a trick, it’s not protecting your community, it’s tricking you into thinking that the people who would send you to kill or die in the desert or jungle to expand their own power are part of your “community”.
There are people who would kill us and take what we have if they could. The only way to stop them is by forming strong communities. Why does that idea threaten you? If you don't want the protection of the community, just say so.
Nation-states primary role is mutual defense of your neighbors. I know my neighbors better than I know someone 8,000 miles away and can count on them to fight off adversaries.
Not at all true. If that was case we would not have so many border disputes with neighboring countries absolutely hating each other. Yemen-Saudi Arabia, N Korea - S Korea, India - Pak, US - Mexico etc. There are many such eg where the military is present not for defense but for offence. You may very well know your neighbor but they need not be friends. I do not think any of the above mentioned countries can count on their neighbors to fight off adversaries when they themselves are adversaries of each other.
Neighbor as in person across the street, not neighbor as in a different nation-state I naturally will have territorial disputes with.
No.
Concept of nation is as important as walls, fences and doors with lock are important to find secure place we call it “home”
Since you are equating it to a home, obviously you do not want to let anyone who you do not know inside your home. Now suppose you are seeing these ppl who are staying in a hotel on an everyday basis but you do not know much about them nor do they know much about your because you have not been mingling with each other much. What then? You want to maintain that state forever? No immigration at all? What does the say about the nation itself which does not make others feel welcome? Also, each person and community have their own notion of what their home should be like. How do you deal with it? What parameters do you look for before you can say some place is secure and you can call it a home?
Here you go Cisco, enjoy :] https://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/stranger.html