Running head: SST TASK 1

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SST Task 1 - Cultures and Institutions
Paula L. Miller
Western Governors University

SST TASK 1

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Cultures and Institutions

It is the author’s intent, through the course of this paper, to discuss the European Union a contemporary nation-state. In addition to this, correlating foreign policies of the United States of America (U.S.A.) will be explored. This will be done with the end in mind that readers of this document will obtain a more profound understanding of what constitutes a modern nation-state and be able to identify examples of political entities that are recognized as nations or states.
Before exploring the operational definition of “nation-state”, one must first dissect the term and then seek an understanding of its individual components. Hence, one must arrive at an understanding of what makes a state a state and what makes a nation a nation. A state is an entity that accepts and wields responsibility for a country’s citizens and for the country itself.
States have definitive boundaries that determine their land ownership and usage and, hierarchically speaking, they are merely a part of a greater politically ruling power. Nations are, in part, philosophically based political entities made up of a culture or cultures of people with a similar belief system. By combining the various elements found between nations and states, one arrives at the modern nation-state. Therefore, modern nation-states have prescribed territorial boundaries, sovereignty, and unique cultural identities that define them and make them different from boundary-based political enterprises.
Despite the prevalence of nation-states in today’s world, there are still nations that do not fall under this category. A prime example of this is the nation of Quebec. While it is part of
Canada, it is now recognized officially as a nation.