The nation-state is now receding, yielding center stage to “the marketplace”; the action in the marketplace is, interestingly, everywhere: local, global, wherever. And “wherever” is increasingly dictated by “pure” economics and interests, not by national borders … Wilkinson observes: “I believe that we’re in for some nationalist noise and some nationalist violence before the transition is done, but I do believe that it will finish, to be replaced by kinds of tribal and commercial conflicts. What will remain of nationalism? My bet is that it will have the character – the strength and relative weight – of brand loyalty; perhaps in some cases, that charged variety of brand loyalty, a fan’s relationship to a sports team.”
Predictor: Wilkinson, Lawrence
Prediction, in context:For a 1995 article for Wired magazine, Jay Kinney, publisher and editor of Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions, interviews Lawrence Wilkinson, co-founder of the Global Business Network. Kinney writes: ”When questioned about the future status of nationalism, Lawrence Wilkinson, co-founder of the Net-wise Global Business Network, offers this encapsulation: ‘Just as during the Enlightenment “the nation-state” took over from “the church” to become the dominant seat of action, so the nation-state is now receding, yielding center stage to “the marketplace”; the action in the marketplace is, interestingly, everywhere: local, global, wherever. And ‘wherever’ is increasingly dictated by “pure” economics and interests, not by national borders (nor the tariffs, national practices, and customs houses that define them).’ Is this the end of nationalism? Wilkinson observes: ‘I believe that we’re in for some nationalist noise and some nationalist violence before the transition is done, but I do believe that it will finish, to be replaced by kinds of tribal and commercial conflicts. What will remain of nationalism? My bet is that it will have the character – the strength and relative weight – of brand loyalty; perhaps in some cases, that charged variety of brand loyalty, a fan’s relationship to a sports team.'”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: ‘Anarcho-Emergentist-Republicans’: Is There a New Politics Emerging in the Net/Cyberspace/Digital Culture?
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.09/netpolitics_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney