ity of the nation (Anderson, 1983: 10).Secondly, a nation helps in the economic development of the state. It does so by shaping the state policies regarding its economy. For example, it might advocate the interventionist approach whereby the state intervenes in every economic decision. The pursuant of personal economic gain is weighed against national interest. This approach is practised in Singapore (Hobsbawm, 1990:25-26). Additionally, a nation should maintain and improve the standard of living of the people through the provision of public and merit goods. Despite the advantages cited in the above paragraphs, the future for a nation to obtain sovereignty even within its boundaries looked bleak. Advances in technology especially in the field of warfare prevent the dream of a sovereign nation from becoming a reality (Heywood, 1999: 107). This is due to the unpredictable and harmful effects that are inflicted to the world with each usage of nuclear warfare. International bodies are thus formed to control a nation right from engaging into a nuclear warfare.International bodies might also override a nation authority in regards to environmental threat to the world. The justification for this is to ensure the survival of the human species over any economic or political gain (Heywood, ibid: 108-109).On the economic front, nations role in regulating the economy will diminish and eventually disappear. Globalisation has erased the boundaries of trade. Multinationals and international corporations have a considerable amount of influence in the economy. There are no barriers to trade and there is an assumption of perfect mobility of the product. Markets are allowed to regulate themselves with the price mechanism acting as signallers to both the producers and the consumers.In conclusion, it is difficult to define a nation as it encompasses within it differing aspect such as cultural and also political. Joseph Stalin described it best by defining &#...
