I very much doubt that there is an existential crisis of the nation state, particularly
not in democratic countries that tend to address societal or economic problems or those
caused by natural disasters by way of throwing incompetent governemts out of power.
Obviously, every large-scale disaster triggeres a sever crisis, but in most cases
these are short-term and, if handled effetively, overcome fairly quickly. I suggest
that people interested in the welfare of disaster victims should focus on the real
failures that have occurred during the Katrina tragedy so that emergency managers
and relief organisations are better prepared for all the future disasters that are
inevitable. I fail to see how a philosphical debate about the nation state can benefit
anyone affected by recent or future disasters.
Benny Peiser
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