After centuries of nation-states, a new form of sovereignty is asserting itself.
After centuries of nation-states, a new form of sovereignty is asserting itself. The small fraternity that controls the major digital platforms has already proven capable of even more intrusive and insidious forms of control than most states can muster. NEW YORK—Over several centuries, nation-states have come to define the international system and govern much of humanity. After emerging in modern Europe and spreading through colonialism, they eventually made it to every corner of the world through postwar decolonization. Their defining feature is control over territory and its inhabitants, without interference by others.