Question

Can you answer this question in 6 sentences

1. What are the two contradictory impulses of the nation state system? Be sure to explain/define each, and then be sure to discuss why they are contradictory.

Answer 1

A "state" is defined as an entity with territory, a government, subjects, and most importantly, recognition from other states. A nation though, is a cultural concept, and is defined by a group of people with a common culture, history, language, and experiences.

For Rosseau, the nation-state was more than an aggregate of people held together by force; there was a shared sense of association with a common good which held the entire aggregate together as a single unit.

The conflict is between two essential aspects of any nation-state: sovereignty and governance.

Sovereignty entails respecting the freedom of each individual member e.g. every citizen's voice ought to receive representation in the deliberations of the Assembly.

However in order to achieve the common good, it is necessary for the consensus decision to be binding on all members - including members of the non-majority who do not support the proposed decision.

Therein lies the tension - commitment to perfect sovereignty is antithetical to effective governance since it is virtually impossible to accomodate the wills of a large group of people and still get stuff done - just think about the difficulty of arriving at a common time to meet/talk when there's a group of only 10.

Some voices inevitably get lost in the noise, while others are favored unjustly.

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Hope this helps! :)