The Extinction of Nation-States

Ali Khan, Washburn University

Abstract

Hugo Grotius founded his theory of international law on the concept of territorial sovereignty. Over the centuries, territorial sovereignty has played a key role in the development of international legal order. The world has now been divided into nearly two hundred nation-states. The people are proud of their national identities and are willing to sacrifice their lives for their beloved nation-state. But just as dinosaurs have disappeared from the face of the earth, so will nation-states with sovereign borders. One Earth will rise again, free from the walls and fences that nations are building around their unsustainable sovereignty.