136 Political Theory: The Relationship of Man and the Stateat least in Europe, have been the great cultural divisions, the
religious differences, and nationalism. Language has been a
thread woven within and throughout each of the three problems
mentioned.
We live in the era of the nation state; for a world order to
emerge, the concept of nationalism would have to be eliminated.
In fact, attempts at world order within the context of the nation
state have been through imperialism, conquest, and the ability to
dominate through business and/or industry. In this regard the
Nazi and Fascist attempts at a world order were based upon a
concept of national superiority, and an extension of the nation
through conquest and an imposition of that superior nation’s
values upon others. Ostensibly, the Communist ideology calls
for a universal order so that the economic competition between
nation states would cease and an economic cooperation which
transcends national states would emerge. In practice Communist
states such as the former Soviet Union have acted more in the
tradition of the Nazis and Fascists.
At present the United Nations represents, at its best, an
institution ideally suited to bring about the dream of a world
state. At its worst it is an institution for bringing together
immature, bom-yesterday nation states into a forum where they
engage in bickering, name-calling, and argument. In a very
practical sense the United Nations may well serve to make clear
the basic problem of this issue.
Should a state be just large enough to serve the economic,
cultural, religious, and security needs of its people? Or should a
world state, unifying all people, be the goal, eliminating in the
process, the conflicts between nations? If we choose the former,
how do we deal with the problems of conflicts between nations?
If we choose the latter, on what ideological, cultural, and
economic basis does this world state operate? Those who believe
that men can and will cooperate with one another would prob
ably choose the world state, seeking resolution to the problems
within that context. Those who think that men cannot and will
not cooperate with those whose premises differ probably foresee
a continuation of the present arrangement, and would attempt to
solve the existing problems and conflicts through negotiations
between nations.