Against the Destruction of the Nation State

            What Wolfgang H. Reinicke may have intended to read as a utopian, hand holding, peaceful way toward a safe global marketplace, read more as an economic version of Dracula.  Whether one is dealing with his ideas on the ‘safe’ transfer of dual-use technologies, or the idea of the destruction of the nation state, a feeling of dread and fear is likely to set in.  The ideas expressed by Reinicke are naïve and don’t take into account human nature.

            To deny globalization is happening is to bury your head in the sand and live in a state of denial.  For those who see what is transpiring the question is how best to regulate and maintain safety in areas such as dual-use technology transfers.  Reinicke claims that, “By far the best and most effective export controls are a company’s sales and marketing agents.”   It’s hard to imagine that was written with a straight face, but not only does Reinicke endorse this idea, he argues that governments should join with business (with business having a greater amount of influence) and in essence regulate themselves.  There is an 800lb gorilla in the discussion that was not dealt with by Reinicke, and that is human nature.  It is nice to believe that corporations and individuals will act in a moral way, but history has shown that man has an inclination to act in a way beneficial to himself.

            The idea of the elimination of the nation state is absolutely terrifying.  Global governance by one body, and that body being subservient to the needs of corporations, would destroy individual liberty.  No longer would there be a ‘police officer’, in the form of a nation, that one could look to for help when they are being exploited.  What form of law enforcement would regulate this global no borders world?  What form of government would overlook that law enforcement body?  And what body would keep an eye on that global government?  Reinicke’s idea that the nation state is on its’ deathbed is hopefully for us all a stretch.

            Although I disagree with almost every aspect of Reinicke’s article, it does address some very important issues.  In contrast to the article, dual-use technology transfer should be in the hands of government and not in the hands of a corporation who could stand to profit from it.  Also, the blissful way in which Reinicke referred to the end of the nation state should send a chill up the spine.  Globalization in time may destroy personal liberty and individuality.

Jeffrey Brandon Lee