Tribalism vs. Nationalism

Tribalism may replace nationalism Picture a world in the next century organized not around nation-states but around a new form of tribes sharing the same culture and values. It's a world where you pledge allegiance not to a republic, but to a clan. That possibility isn't too far-fetched when you take the current state of our fracturing world and overlay new information technologies and the new telecommunications infrastructure. Here's how it conceivably could play out: …

…of parochial sects warring among themselves. They fear the emergence of tribalism in the old sense -- a new form of barbarism. But that scenario leaves out the equally powerful forces that are integrating the world. For every step toward more parochial localism, there's a step toward more universal globalism. This end of the nation-state might not be such a disaster in the long run. In the digital future, we might even see international peace.