Nation_State

The modern nation-state consists of permanent residents within a defined physical boundary and is governed by a political union within that territory. A modern native-state has established a sovereign state which is recognized by other nation-states. Despite possible cultural differences, the people of modern nation-states have developed a sense of unity through common history, shared language, and national values (Perry, & Perry, 2009). A nation is made up of a population who identify with the nations culture, interests, and goals (Perry, & Perry, 2009). Palestine is one of these nations. The Palestinians are a large social group of people who willingly share a sense of allegiance to their nation. They have a common history, population, and language. The Palestinians are not really settled about what territories to lay claim too. As of now they lay claim to non-contiguous areas in the West bank and Gaza Strip. Statehood would require a defined boundary not a dynamic boundary. Palestine does not possess independence and sovereignty. Because of this they do not have responsibility for border crossings and external security; these remain under Israel’s jurisdiction. Basically they do not have an independent governmental authority. Many nation-states do not recognize Palestine as a state only as a nation. Although Pakistan became a state in 1947 it is still not a nation. Many inequalities have prevented the components of nationhood. Wealth and opportunity are not equally attainable to all the people of Pakistan. Equal rights are unachievable because of a corrupt legal system and ineffective democracy. There is a natural resistance in this country to preserve their distinctiveness which results in people remaining diverse and unaccepting of others. These differences cause powerful political forces which use force to get what they want. Pakistan operates as a theocratic state rather than a democratic one. Different sectarian divides divinely believe differently in practical matters of the state, resulting with sects that are hated and cursed. The civil unrest in the State of Pakistan does not allow the people to achieve nationhood. Pakistan is considered a state because of the state’s claim to sovereignty and its ability to enter into international agreements. Pakistan has a defined territory and claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within its territory. It does have an organized political community although it is considered corrupt (www.ahmadiyyatimes.blogspot.com). France is a nation-state. Despite many immigrants relocating to France from Africa and other areas, these immigrants have assimilated into French culture. The country does have a mother tongue which is French, this helps ensure their common identity. The French people see themselves as separate from all others and consider being French a nationality despite anyone’s ethnic categorization. Frances borders are clearly defined and undisputed. They are a sovereign country who has its own military. France participates in many foreign relations and has extensive political and commercial relations with other countries. The United States is composed of a heterogeneous group of people who live in a common defined territory. Many different religions, languages, and customs are practiced here. Some would say that because of these differences it is impossible to unite as a nation. The residents of the United States may be heterogeneous but they share a strong common identity as Americans. They share a sense of history and common goals. A cohesive nation has been created because of the ability to achieve equal rights among all the residents. Each resident has the opportunity to excel in life to whatever level they can attain. Americans practice individualism in such a way that an individual’s actions and achievements are judged based on the individual rather than judgment from belonging to a particular racial or ethnic group. Americans encourage an individual’s freedom of expression. This is shown in many literacy works which involve a plot of an individual’s struggle with a conforming society. Modernism is a common culture of Americans. Americans believe in progress towards greater things. The new is better than the old. Americans do not believe that the past determines the future and that anything is possible. The United States is not a nation based on religious identity although Americans attend religious services frequently. Most Americans believe in God or a supreme being. The United States is a secular nation which creates an atmosphere of freedom of religion among the people. Americans identity is implied by what they buy and own. It displays others what their character, beliefs, and values are. This creates a culture of Consumerism. Americans are made up of people coming to America from all over the world. They adapt to common American culture although they do not abandon their culture they merely make adjustments to conform to American beliefs, such as, Individualism, Modernism and Consumerism. The United States is a sovereign country with an organized political community; the government is one which is governed by the people. A defined territory exists with established military forces that have the legitimate ability to use force. The recognition of the United States claim to sovereignty by other nation-states allows the United States to enter in international agreements. All of these criteria lead one to define the United States as a modern nation-state. Afghanistan has been devastated by foreign occupation and war over the last four decades. United States foreign policy is dedicated to helping Afghanistan build infrastructure, support humanitarian relief, provide security needs, create democratic principles, and protect human rights (www.state.gov/policy). Another United States foreign policy is to alleviate word hunger. Chronic hunger affects many third world countries. This policy will enable developing countries to invest in food security for their country, advance sustainable agricultural-led growth, and maintain support for humanitarian food assistance (www.state.gov/policy). The uniting of European nations began after WWII, with the intention of creating a lasting peace amongst neighbors and reconstructing Europe. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are considered the founders of the European Union. Although the intention was to unite all European countries, Europe divided into two competitive blocks, the east and the west. This began the 40 year cold war. The eastern nations which included East Berlin were controlled by communist party dominance. Meanwhile the western nations had united and functioned as democratic states. This division of nations based on political structure created the symbol of the “Iron Curtain”. European borders were agreed upon and considered permanent unless revision by peaceful agreement. Military pacts were also split between the East and West, the east functioned under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the East functioned under the Warsaw Pact. By 1989 European alliances had dissolved which eventually led to the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991. Many of the countries involved in the Warsaw Pact then joined NATO and followed the policies required by NATO. The differing sides had never entered into combat but they competed for economic growth. The Marshall plan in 1947 provided financial aid to all of Europe to recover from the war but Eastern Europe refused the aid. Multiple Economic Communities were formed through cooperation to enhance economic growth. These communities merged together in 1967 to form the European Community (EC). Other countries soon joined the community and the name of the organization was changed to the European Union (Bergman, 2008). Independent sovereign nations make up the European Union (EU). The EU effectively produces a larger entity that is able to generate a greater world influence then each nation could generate on its own. Within the EU are four major institutions, which in a collaborative effort make major decisions for the European nations. The four institutions are the European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Commission, and the European Court of Justice. Today the EU has 27 member countries. These countries have transferred some of their law making authority to the EU. Some major countries within the EU are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. The institutions of the EU function in many capacities. The European Parliament is directly elected every five years by voters of the 27 member nations. They draft legislation regarding consumer rights, transport, environment protection, and free movement of workers, capital, services and goods (www.europarl.europa.ea). The Council of the European Union defines the political direction of the EU and outlines its policies (www.european-council.europa.eu). The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU, it proposes and implements new legislation to Parliament and the council. When there is a dispute between national laws and union laws the European Court of Justice will settle the dispute. Overall the EU has allowed the nations involved to integrate into one economic and political community. Policies created and pursued by the EU allow a quality of life without discrimination amongst the member nations (Bergman, 2008). The EU has established a policy in the interest of Iraq in hopes of rebuilding political, economic, and social reconstruction. Sectarian based violence in Iraq eliminates the ability to achieve human rights. The need to disarm groups perpetuating violence, promote economic development, establish security, and improve access to basic human services will create a stable and prosperous Iraq (www.europa.eu). A policy for humanitarian food assistance has been established by the EU. This policy ensures access to adequate, safe and nutritious food for populations who are experiencing, or will be experiencing food crises. The commission’s main goal is save lives due to extreme food shortages or malnutrition (www.europa.eu). The US foreign policy on Afghanistan was in response to the September 11th attacks on the twin towers. The intention of invading Afghanistan was to seek and destroy terrorist. Many tools of power are used to achieve the objectives set forth in foreign policy. The US deployed intelligence operations, overt and covert operations, and ultimately war to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. The motives were to take down terrorist’s sects and ultimately the leaders of the countries in order to build a democratic nation. Humanitarian principles are used to provide relief to the civilians affected by war, yet insurgents see this aid as a tool to coerce the civilians into a western society style nation building in the interest of the US. Other methods used to achieve success in foreign policies for the US and the EU is trade boycotts, propaganda, and diplomacy to name a few. These tools are required to get the results the US and EU expect. The EU support for the US led war on Iraq created clashes of political force within the EU member countries. Many of the member countries did not share the same view on Iraq foreign policy. The Iraq war caused the EU to reassess their foreign policy on Iraq and attempt to converge the member countries into a policy that all agreed on. It is in the EU’s best interest to accelerate the rebuilding of Iraq. Iraq is an oil rich country and the control of these resources is still being played out with the United Nations. It would greatly benefit the EU to help Iraq in rebuilding and in providing humanitarian aid. If they are able to help in the process of creating a liberated Nation, sanctions on oil may be released allowing Iraq to sell oil on the open market. This would be advantageous for the EU as well as the US. If EU foreign policy can help encourage good relations between gulf neighbors, many countries in need of importing oil will have better access to oil on the open market. Many of US foreign policies are achieved by using military force which has caused great criticism by other nation-states. Other nations do not trust the United States (US) government because of methods they have used to achieve the goals of US foreign policy. Critics argue that US led military intervention does not always create a less repressive government but causes neglect of basic human rights and destruction of infrastructure. This leads to innocent civilians desperately trying to survive. Some policies of the US seem hypocritical to other nations. Such as how the US regulates nuclear arms in other nations yet the US maintains nuclear armament. The US participates in international summits for climate control but contributes greatly to the pollution problem. Power is the ultimate aim of international politics. US foreign policies have caused nations to resent US power rather than respect it. Involvement in foreign policy for the European Union (EU) has caused a stir within the EU. With 27 member countries in-fighting has occurred regarding goals, and interests of EU foreign policy. The EU has distinct identities in other countries, such as Africa. Good governance, development and security must occur through EU foreign policy in countries subject to violent fighting with neighboring nations or the EU distinct identity in those areas will be compromised. Many of EU’s foreign policies have to be rewritten due to political change and social protests occurring in many nations, especially in the Middle East. Although EU foreign policy has the right intentions when aiding other countries, the country receiving aid itself can be in such turmoil that it requires extraordinary effort and time to accomplish a portion of the policy goals. In order for the EU to achieve a successful foreign policy, it needs to encourage political will among its member countries to take a step forward in the direction of communitarianism. References Bergman, E. F., & Renwick, W. H. (2008). Introduction to geography: people, places and environment (4th ed.). Retrieved from http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_90669_perry_ebook_wgu/0205578675/index.html Hoodbhoy, P. (2010, June 6). Why pakistan is not a nation and how. Ahmadiyya Times. Retrieved from www.ahmadiyyatimes.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-pakistan-is-not-nation-and-how-it.html Perry, J. A., & Perry, E. K. (2009). Contemporary society: an introduction to social science (12th ed.). Retrieved from http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_72818_introgeo_wgu/ Unknown, (n.d.). Gateway to the european union. Retrieved from http://europa.eu/index_en.htm Unknown, (n.d.). U.S. Department of state. Retrieved from www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm#profile