FUTURE OF THE NATION STATE IN EUROPE

As late as Autumn 1989 it was widely believed that Europe was finally on the threshold of a new and more peaceful era. Yet only a few years later, this view has become quite untenable. "The Future of the Nation State in Europe" is divided into four sections. After contributions by Paavo Vayrynen, Ernst Gellner, Aira Kemilainen and Jyrki Iivonen on the concept of "nation state" and its definition, the second section consists of two historical articles by Giovanni Arrighi and Erik Allardt, the former discussing the development of historical capitalism while the latter connects the question of the nation state to different forms of technology. The third section deals with various contexts of the nation state, including articles by Jaan Kaplinski on the future of nation cultures in Europe, by Ali Kazancigil on the effects of unification on the national state, by Allan Rosas on the decline of sovereignty in international law, and by Raimo Vayrynen on the relationship between territory and nation state. The final section, on the effects of regional changes on ethnic developments in Europe, includes articles by Thomas Henschel on German unification, Risto Alapuro on prospects for Russian civil society and Mate Szabo on East European political development. Written in response to violent conflict in many of the former socialist countries and unease about European integration in the West, "The Future of the Nation State in Europe" argues that the question of the Nation State in Europe will remain one of the foremost issues facing scientists.