Independence: does the nation state still matter?

This debate is part of Battle of Ideas Helsinki 2026.

After decades in which transnational institutions took precedence over national sovereignty, ‘national interest’ is making a comeback. Concerns over security, immigration, industry and agriculture have put the defence of national interests back on the political agenda. Opening parliament, President Stubb declared: ‘I have done my best to promote Finland’s national interest in every situation… Today, this is more important than ever.’

But how much does the nation state still matter? Finland’s 1917 Declaration of Independence proclaimed: ‘The people of Finland… cannot fulfil their national and international duty without complete sovereignty.’ Today, however, Finland, like other countries, is bound by international treaties and EU regulations. Many find these constraints frustrating, but is talk of national interest realistic or merely performative?

Charles de Gaulle famously said that nations have ‘no friends, only interests’. After years of stressing shared Western ‘values’, critics fear that the return of national interest will fuel ‘America First’ agendas. Amid renewed geopolitical tension, could it weaken the international rules and norms that protect stability, sovereignty and human rights?

Others warn, however, that without the will to pursue the national interest and develop a shared national purpose, countries risk fragmentation at home. Can nation states stand up to global corporations and NGOs with agendas of their own unless they debate which interests should come first? And can migrants become integrated into a national community that lacks a clear sense of national identity and purpose?

Do nation states still matter and can national interest be pursued – or is it an empty political slogan? How can a coherent national interest be defined at home when national identity and belonging remain so contested? And how should the national interest and sovereignty be pursued in the increasingly fragmented world of geopolitics?