A Europe of Nations — or the Nation of Europe?

1. The Paradox of Interdependence The last few years have highlighted a growing paradox in the modern world. On the one hand, industrialism, capitalism and mass communications have created a world of interdependent states and nations, of mass tourism, regional networks of media, an international division of labour, worldwide commodity markets, of mass epidemics, global terrorism, and the like. On the other hand, there has been an extraordinary proliferation of protest movements all over the world, of social antagonisms, of ethnic and religious cleavages, and above all of ethnic nationalisms in every continent. In the last few years, these movements have helped to undermine several states and create new national states, reversing a long period when the map of the interstate order was largely frozen. How shall we explain this situation? Is it a product of quite recent developments? Or can we trace it back to the earlier part of this century, or even further back? Is there anything in the contemporary scene which suggests a radical change in this paradoxical situation?