Beyond the Nation-State: Toward a New Global Order Based on Value and Practicality
The nation-state, that sacred pillar of modern political organization, increasingly feels outdated — and at times, even random. Borders drawn with rulers on colonial maps, divisions etched by imperial convenience rather than cultural, economic, or human realities, still define much of the world today. Yet, few pause to ask: why should they?
Colonialism’s legacy runs deep. Across Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, empires created castes of citizens: privileged elites versus the marginalized majority. The “post-colonial” era often did not heal these wounds; it simply replaced the colonial masters with local elites who, more often than not, proved corrupt, nepotistic, and detached from the needs of their people.
Is it any wonder that, sometimes, a Jordanian might look back wistfully at the idea of a British passport? Not because colonialism was just — it wasn’t — but because post-colonial governance often offered little better.
A Tired System, A Dying Arrangement
Meanwhile, across Europe, societies are aging into irrelevance. Companies struggle to find workers. Pension funds teeter as fewer young workers contribute. At the same time, millions of African youths sit unemployed, brimming with ambition and talent but starved of opportunity. Instead of seizing this as a chance for mutual salvation, we watch desperate young people drown in the Mediterranean while Europe dithers, crippled by fear and bureaucracy. Where is human dignity in this?
The alternative to this death spiral is not stricter borders or even more rigid “nations” based on ethnic purity. Instead, it might be time to imagine a new model: alliances based on value and practicality, not historical accident.
Imagine regions voluntarily forming unions that serve mutual needs — young workers for aging industries, market access for investment, cultural dynamism for economic stability. Not colonialism 2.0, where one dominates another, but practical marriages of equals.
This isn’t (just) utopian dreaming: Egypt and Syria tried something similar in the 1950s with the United Arab Republic. It ultimately failed due to political ego and poor planning, but let’s not rule out the possibility.
How about a German-Nigerian Union? Or Greece-Rwanda, Spain-Tunesia?
Identity Anxiety and the Fear of the New
Of course, there will be resistance. Some people will fear for their national identity. Some, frankly, will sport racist prejudices or fear for their culture and traditions. But let’s be real: hasn’t Europe already lost much of its national identity to Americanization and consumerism? The local bakeries replaced by global fast-food chains, the town squares emptied by endless scrolling on U.S.-designed apps. If anything, forging new unions with countries less steeped in American consumerist values might help Europe rediscover more authentic, rooted forms of life and community.
Change doesn’t have to mean erasure; it can mean renewal.
New Marriages, New Possibilities
If we think in terms of practicality, which country should propose to whom?
