Author Topic: Are nation-states necessary anymore?  (Read 762 times)

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Offline Queefer Sutherland

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Re: Are nation-states necessary anymore?
« Reply #45 on: May 29, 2018, 06:08:58 pm »
What I'm describing here is capital's reaction to this state of affairs. They began operating outside of borders, beyond the confines of nation-states that were increasingly controlled by those who sought to bring capital under a leash of social welfare. We now exist in a world where these corporate interests operate outside (and within) the sphere of control from nation states.

That's not quite true.  Capital still operates within the borders of nation-states, but they can also operate within other nation-states depending on the laws of the given nation-states.  Bank accounts, stock markets, company headquarters etc. all have a physical location within a nation-state, even if it's on a computer server in some bank in whatever country.

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People don't vote in local elections because national politics is small-scale. National politicians have little authority in the global order. It is the global economic order that shapes people's lives, where we live, what we do, how we interact, how much resources we have to our name, etc.

The global order has influence for sure but nation-states have input to varying degrees on that order.  And still a huge amount of policies that affect people's lives comes from national and more local elections  Many people don't vote because they don't care about politics whatsoever.

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So in order to bring the system back under the people's control, we need to begin thinking beyond the nation state. We need people and labour to be able to transcend borders as well to meet capital on the same playing field.

The good thing about borders is that it keeps bad people out.  It can also keep bad money out, like the AECON deal that was nixed.  I don't want a lot of criminal and corrupt people from developing countries anywhere near my community, and I like having the power to bring the well-behaved & educated hardworking people from developing countries into my community.  With no borders, it still means Canadian jobs will be sent to China and other poorer countries because it saves money & makes goods cheaper for us to buy.  If no borders, it means I'm competing for a job with anyone worldwide, which doesn't help me much.

If you had a specific proposal for how this new system of yours would work it would be easier to answer.  As of now, borders mean sovereignty, and laws are determined locally and nationally.  Neoliberal movement of labour sounds nuts, local cultures could be overrun and nobody could stop it, and that would cause violence.  I'd rather there be more local and national economic controls on the flow of money and corporations within the current state system, and better international organizations to prevent war.
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