Nepal, March 11 -- Is the traditional concept of nation-state, especially defined by the Treaty of Westphalia (1848), valid today? The answer would be no, as the conventional concepts and practices of nation-states are fast changing. Neither nation nor state is fully manifested in politics. If the nation is more or less related to the emotional and cultural aspects of the state, the latter underscores the significance of sovereignty, territory, government and people.

Without sovereignty, a state's very identity ceases to exist. The essence of the state lies in its autonomy and independence of actions in its name. The erosion of sovereignty is also the loss of independence, to which so much blood has been shed till now. The latest example...