The Most Dire Challenge to The Nation State, Op-ed

Social cohesion and national unity are now considered major strategic concerns for all countries. A few years ago, such a challenge was reserved for non-developed countries, Dr. Salem AlKetbi, a UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate, says.

But in recent times, there have been strong pisions even in the more developed countries, which could be even more dangerous in the medium and long term than those experienced, for instance, by many countries in the Arab region and the Middle East.

Divides among people are neither a fleeting reality nor a historical moment in the political landscape. They have, however, become more pronounced and widespread in many countries as a result of what is known in the media as the “Arab Spring.”

Terrorist and extremist groups and their state sponsors, as well as states with expansionist hegemonic agendas, have amplified sectarian, religious, and ethnic fragmentation.

Some countries, in consequence, have slid into sectarian and ethnic conflicts. For others, the risk of a religiously-motivated war has almost turned real. In the West, communal pisions of a religious and racial nature have also risen in recent years.

In some European countries, in particular, the extreme right-wing movement has continued to foment conflict. While in the United States, politicians have warned that pisions have been sharpening since the last presidential election, calling attention to their impact on the country’s reputation and international status as a model of democratic values.

Speaking to the media to promote his memoirs, former President Barack Obama conceded that the United States had become a “very pided” nation.

Indeed, these pisions have taken root since the election of President Obama himself in 2008. Then they resurfaced more intensely after the election of President Donald Trump in 2016.

Of course, these cleavages have less to do with political slogans and presidential doctrines than with socio-economic inequalities and the rural-urban pide. In other words, it is about the distribution of wealth and development gains between social classes.

Some, including former President Obama, believe that social media have largely promoted fragmentation by spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation. They also accuse their political rivals of promoting such theories, stoking pision in the virtual world, and anchoring it in public opinion.

There are persistent historical cleavages, including between races and religious beliefs. The ideals of coexistence, acceptance of others, and rejection of hatred and intolerance remain to be strengthened, stabilized, and spread from generation to generation, through a sustained institutional effort.

Although the main concern of politicians and observers about widespread pisions is mainly related to the democratic process, the implications of the pisions outweigh this—yet important—aspect.

The results of the US presidential election, which reflected a marked convergence in the results of the direct popular vote, confirm this deepening societal pide. The world has also followed the violence and chaos in some American cities following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer.

Moreover, a central element of US superiority under the current world order stems from the political, economic, and cultural values of the American model. For many in the world, the American model seems to be unraveling under the impact of repeated crises. Timely intervention is therefore required to repair the image of the United States in the world’s eyes.

There is also a real problem of coexistence between the components of American society. This is a delicate issue, not because it is not well integrated into the American mentality, but rather because it is a societal issue that is sensitive to any negative practices.

Social tensions are not a sore point for some countries and not for others. They are today a global curse.

A relevant remedy to address them is to have stricter legal instruments to deal with all forms of hatred, intolerance, rejection of the other, and any discrimination based on religion, skin color, race, or gender.

More importantly, efforts must go into eradicating extremist movements that fuel discord and foment hatred as an enabling environment for them to flourish.

Failure to do so risks sacrificing the foundations of the nation-state around the world. This would be a terrible loss for one of the gains of the global peace and security process.