A Federal World Order

Religion and compulsion...

For much of our history as religious beings, it was a taboo to abandon or change one's religion. Unless it was the ruler who decided. When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity after his battle on the Milvian Bridge, for instance, the people of the Roman Empire were soon pressured to follow suit. The conquering armies of Islam did the same. Once these religions became entrenched, individuals risked their lives by converting to another religion or simply abandoning the one they were born with. In fact, in many cases, the present tense would also apply. Nevertheless, most educated people would nowadays agree that this is wrong and that people have a right to chose their religion, or none at all.

Nationhood and compulsion...

When it comes to nationhood, however, the situation has changed little. It is generally accepted that you are stuck with your nationality. Nationality, like religion, is a synthetic denomination that is freely accepted or imposed on people. It is different from ethnicity or culture, although often related to these. On the one hand, there are nations that respect and support the cultures and ethnicities within their borders. On the other, nations may view these cultures and ethnicities as a threat. 

Occasionally, a nation may be selective with regards to the what it will tolerate or support and what it will not. China for instance has 56 registered ethnic groups, including predominant Han, which constitute over 90% off the population. The categorisation is somewhat haphazard and different groups may be pooled in together for convenience. Most are respected and even celebrated. Some, like the Tibetans and Uyghurs are viewed with suspicion. The reason is obvious: separatism.

Separatism's many faces

There are many reasons why a people may wish to separate form the country they are lumped with. These reasons need not always be noble, such as a different tradition, history or belief system that suffers under the ruling majority (or minority). Sometimes, a people may wish to break away because they are sitting on the cash cows: oil, water, minerals... Of course, situations are rarely clear cut. There are so many factors involved in separatist claims, that adjudicating from an ethical point of view is far from straight forward. 

UN-aligned

The problem is always exacerbated by that one word mentioned above: synthetic. Nationality is fluid. It changes with time. We confine it in borders. We subjugate it to constitutions. It becomes a kind of religion. We want to exploit it; just as we have abused religion. 

Until individuals are put before nationality, it will always be an anomaly. The Unites Nations comes close to putting people first, but it has many flaws. The solution? A federal world order that respects individuals before national citizens. UN-aligned is an organisation working for such a world vision and it will be launched next month. Idealistic? Yes! Impossible! No! Follow the link and check it out!