A. How did we end up with the nation-state regime?
Today, the human population is segmented into approximately 200 administrative groups referred to as nation-states. Nation-states are defined by geographic borders and are generally aligned to a racial-ethnic community, a shared resource pool (commonly known as taxes), a shared language, and a variety of other elements that coalesce to create a “national” identity.
This segmentation of the human population has evolved over thousands of years and is largely the byproduct of colonization and wars. Nation-state borders were often built by acts of empire expansion, where self-proclaimed demigods deployed the poor to fight and die to benefit those born into privilege. Over time, these kingdoms and empires transformed into representative governments. Today, the borders of these blood-forged kingdoms remain largely intact.
B. Let Us Upgrade to Civilization 5.0
The nation-state regime is quickly becoming obsolete due to rapid advances in science and technology. Political structures, like all systems created by humankind, grow stale with time and are eventually unable to adapt to the new social environment. The software of how we politically organize ourselves is due for an upgrade, Civilization 5.0 cometh.
This new version of civilization is likely to take the form of Administrative Regions (AR), which will replace the nation-state regime and decentralize government power.
C. Problems with the Nation State Regime
There is a massive exodus of faith in the nation-state regime due to a variety of problems. They are:
Tribalism
Tribal politics consumes far too much time of elected representatives, mass media, and the citizenry. If the time spent on political hatred of the “other side” could be reallocated to the betterment of civilization, the world would be a better place.
Too Big to Manage #TBTM
The populations of many nation-states are too big to manage. When vast populations are governed under one administrative umbrella, a rift emerges between the needs of the taxpayer and actions of the tax spender. This misalignment results in inefficient or reckless public spending, sluggish governmental response, and a failure of accountability on the use of taxpayers’ hard-earned money. When we reduce the size of our primary fiscal communities, currently the nation-state, we will dramatically increase government effectiveness and efficiency.
Inequality
The geographic location of one’s birth has an enormous impact on one’s life. The artificial boundaries, also known as “international borders,” that are erected to prevent migration in and out of defined geographic areas create massive inequalities between global citizens. Tear down the false walls and tear down inequality.
The Separation of Race and State
Racial-ethnic identity should not be a basis for government. Racial-ethnic identity (i.e. “Chinese” or “German”) is defined by empires as a tool to galvanize one population against another. Racial-enthnicity changes with the passage of time, as human beings migrate, cultures mix and belief systems are imposed upon a populace. Stated differently, race and ethnicity are constantly changing; a “Nation” evolves, it is not consistent over time. And even at a single point in time, one person’s race or ethnicity can be defined in multiple ways. So why are most governments constructed around the “Nation”?
Additionally, government rooted in race and ethnicity facilitates racial-ethnic pride. Racial-ethnic pride fosters nativism, racism, and remains an underlying justification for war and genocide: the systemized murder of millions of human beings under the false pretense of racial-ethnic superiority. It is time to separate race and state.
War on Steroids
War is mostly nation-states fighting other nation-states driven by trade, territory, and ethnicity. War has killed millions of people, destroyed millions of families, and prevented billions of beautiful and brilliant thoughts. The vast resource pools of nation-states magnify the destruction of human conflict. Distribute the resource pools and limit casualties. War is an act of the state, not the people.
Restrictions on Freedoms
The nation-state regime invades our liberties in a variety of areas, including:
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Commerce
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Migration
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Identity
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Religious freedom
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Voting
Public Monopolies
When public services are not open to competition, they have destructive effects on the efficiency of society. These services include currency management, public pension systems, transportation infrastructure and others. Breaking up these monopolies will improve the condition of humanity.
D. An Urgent Situation
We find ourselves in an urgent situation. A transition away from the nation-state regime is an inevitable consequence of technological developments. Digital technologies have drastically reduced the reliance on physical proximity as a requirement for community. The nation-state concept was built in a time when most could never imagine conversing with someone who lived a few hundred miles away. Today, we swipe a smooth glass screen and can talk to anyone on the globe within seconds. As we find commonalities and aligned incentives with people across the globe, the thick lines on the world map mean less and less. The illogical pride in the massive tribes called nation-states is quickly being acknowledged. The governments we pay for do not provide a good value.
A change is in the air. If we do not act quickly human progress could devolve into chaos. Disorderly change of political systems often creates power vacuums and destructive social volatility. These Robespierre moments divert resources from human progress to carnage. We must avoid this situation.