ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with a few of the significant ones now discernible, recognizing that others exist, either now or in the future. With globalization, the nation-state is still central in many ways. Yet, with so many of humanity's current problems global in nature, the nation-state has proven too often to be a constrictive force, unable to cope adequately with its challenges. Indeed, the very notion of territory and fixed boundaries can appear anachronistic in a globalizing era. In this centuries-long development, globalization can be viewed as a powerful force also fostering equality. Everyone, supposedly, speaks with an equal voice on the Internet. China is emerging as a dynamic global power. The US and the West remain powerful economic and military forces. The core of modernity–the Enlightenment–is being rethought in global terms. In the light of such work, the nation-state is increasingly on its way to taking second place on the global stage.
