political islands

States are not natural entities. The integrity of national borders depends on the existence of the nation state. The recognition of the nation state’s sovereignty must be acknowledged from outside. Globalization is often described as a phenomenon that is making the nation state obsolete. It is believed to collapse nations into a homogenized singular entity. Globalization should not be thought of as outside of the nation state, as it is not an external process. Globalization describes what is happening to the nation state; it is transforming the nation state. Globalization reinforces a series of segregated domains of logic and power that have taut boundaries. When these worlds interact, any conflict that arises identifies a site for resistance, and disrupts what longs to stay intact.

Rupture of a boundary can occur in the form or extraterritoriality. Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law. It is often a result of diplomatic negotiations and as such often manifests itself in the form of embassies, consulates, foreign military bases, offices of the United Nations, etc. Such spaces are sovereign territories which are accountable not to the country in which they are sited but rather to their host country.

Amongst the globalized worlds, there is a similar brand of spaces that are appearing which seek legal immunity as exceptional conditions, offshore islands entitled to special sovereignty and exemption from law. These come in the form of free trade zones, information technology hubs, resorts, religious and retail franchises and so on.

These new forms of extraterritoriality, often occur in relation to existing political enterprises. They are often used to mask a seemingly negative political condition with a seemingly innocent apolitical one. The nature of their relation to a symbiotic politicized dialogue makes it impossible to de-politicize them.

Reference: Easterling, Keller. Enduring Innocence: Global Architecture and Its Political Masquerades. (Massachusetts: MIT), 2005.