“A combination of internal pressures (ethnic and regional forces) and external threats (EU, UN, TNC, global market, etc.) has produced what is commonly 999 referred to as a ‘crisis of the nation-state.” Elaborate.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 nation-state as long-central actor → now squeezed from three directions at once → subnational + transnational + supranational
Route 2 the ‘crisis’ = simultaneous pressure from below, across and above → state pressed on all three fronts
internal squeeze (militancy / secession / autonomy / identity denial / regional discrimination → Yugoslavia) → external squeeze (globalisation + regionalisation → sovereignty made multinational) → Nye: MNC direct/indirect pressure → Simmons: NGO policy influence → forced re-regulation (climate / terrorism / finance via transnational frameworks) → hyperglobalist redundancy claim
Buzan → economic role reduced, but state still the sole security provider → uniquely holds both capacity to act + authority to define a threat
Route 1 reshaped, not dissolved → survives as the central unit
Route 2 continuous crisis, not collapse → the state is remade, not ended
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Key Concepts in International Relations — 9 questions in the Vault.
- Transnational actors have qualitatively transformed the world by the way of their fresh insights and actions. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.
- Discuss the conceptual dimensions of collective security.
- Discuss the utility of Nuclear Deterrence Theory in the context of the recent standoff between India and Pakistan.
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.