Why have nationalists viewed the nation state as a political ideal?

The basic belief of nationalism is that the nation is or should be the central principle of political organisation and a nation state is a sovereign political association within which citizenship and nationality overlap. For nationalists, the nation state is therefore the highest and most desirable form of political organisation. In fact the goal of nationalism is the founding of a nation state.

The great strength of the nation state is that it offers the prospect of both cultural cohesion and political unity as when people with a common cultural or ethnic identity gain the right to self-government, nationality and citizenship coincide.

Also the political sovereignty in a nation state resides with the people or nation itself. Nationalism represents the idea of popular self-government with government carried out either by the people or for the people in accordance with their national interest.

This has led nationalists to believe that the forces that have created a world of independent nation states are natural and irresistible and no other social group could constitute a meaningful political community. The nation state therefore is the only viable political unit.

This is reflected in the different nationalist traditions. The ultimate goal of liberal nationalism is the construction of a world of independent nation states as is the goal of liberal internationalism.