Why the West Needs City-States

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Though we live in the world of nation-states today, this was not always the case. In fact, the modern nation-state is a fairly recent invention. For most of history, the world was ruled by a slew of differently structured powers and systems. One of those models, surprisingly common throughout world history, was the city-state.

Though the city-state was likely never the dominant political structure in the world, today it is very much at the margins. City-states do exist today, the most quintessential ones being Singapore and Monaco, as well as some micro-states, such as Liechtenstein or San Marino. Those are, however, often seen as relics of the time past, and funny quirks that do not really belong in today’s world. Simply put, they are not seen as ‘proper’ political entities when compared to nation-states.