A changing world - Can we ever be truly sovereign?

There’s hardly a conflict in history that has not been driven by nationalism or religion.

They are two of the criteria societies use to define themselves, sometimes in uncompromising, aggressive terms. If these belief systems were not the primary drivers of conflict then they were often, far too often, invoked to conceal motives far less honourable.

Indeed, it is almost impossible to imagine how our history might read in the absence of these two forces for self-determination. One of the central aspirations of most nationalists is sovereignty — the independence to control domestic affairs.