Why National Boundaries Remain Relevant in The Role of Providing Stability

Man is a social animal but with a tendency to divide into smaller social groups, resulting in the way we exist today defined by national boundaries. Nation states, in the modern sense, came into being due to a variety of reasons, primarily due to shared language, culture, values, and in many cases, as a result of struggle against colonialism. There is a long and complex history behind how the world has ended up divided into different nations it has today. While the stunning growth in the communications and information have certainly made the peoples come closer than ever before in history, the linkages that differentiate are certainly more stronger than those that unite. This is the primary reason why national boundaries remain relevant in the role of providing stability.

Every country has its own economic reality that is unique due to the socio-economic factors. The financial challenges vary as per the geographical compulsions and social fabric of the nation. The government has the jurisdiction to formulate and implement the various social welfare schemes and the taxes in the geographic region that is defined by the national boundaries. The borders thus empower the government of the nation to execute the policy towards the good of the society. National boundaries also provide us with a sense of shared identity and belonging in the global order. The Indian culture and values that emanate from the various regions of the country get their collective recognition from India as a well defined geographical entity. Without them, there would be a crisis of legitimacy and identity. In fact, in case of our country it seems that Mother Nature has already defined our boundaries by Himalayas in the north and Indian Ocean in the south.The notion that national boundaries hamper trade or flow of ideas is deeply flawed. United States and Canada have defined boundaries but totally open borders. Similar case exists in European Union. The issue of having open or closed borders between the nations is altogether separate from the political and geographical delineation provided by the national boundaries. Open societies also need defined borders.

National boundaries also provide a means of regulating the influx of immigrants in the society. The immigration crisis of Europe where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons fled from the war ravaged Syria and sought refuge in Italy, Germanyand other nations is a fine example of relevance of boundaries, which did not stop the state governments from accepting them in a highly controlled way. Despite the threats of radical Islam ideology and concerns about lawlessness, European nations accepted a majority of them while addressing their legitimate concerns. Thus, a potential threat of instability and lawlessness in these societies was averted while providing humanitarian assistance.

National boundaries promote and preserve the social cohesion of the society which is the essential ingredient for economic progress and general well being of the citizens. The other extreme is the now defunct Islamic Caliphate established on the basis of radical ideology; It is indeed a sobering thought to the proponents of post- borderism who profess that boundaries are mere artificial constructs and believe that borders are a form of global apartheid and can be replaced by transnational governments. As Freedman says, the world may have become flat, but the human nature and insecurities that divided us in the first place show little change. National boundaries are the best reflection of this reality.