The problem of building fences at state borders in the modern era is inextricably linked with the state policy and state sovereignty, the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, Matey Katkov told in the National Question program on Vesti.FM.
According to the expert, this issue in this plane was considered only in the era of etatism.
"Etatism (from fr État - state) is the sociopolitical paradigm in which the role of state and statehood in a society sharply increases. This process in European countries began in the 20th century and continues to the present. The state took on the functions that were the prerogative of the church, class institutions, the royal dynasties, etc. Therefore, the problem of border fencing in the modern world is the problem of an attitude to the state sovereignty as a whole, ”the analyst said.
At the same time, he explained that various kinds of border fences always existed, but before that, they had an exclusively military purpose.
“Before the creation of the modern concept of ‘citizen’ and ‘citizenship’, these fences were just walls and fences. Moreover, often these structures were of an exclusively military nature. You can recall the famous Athenian Long Walls, the demolition of which was one of Sparta ’s requirements after the victory in the Peloponnesian War. In the national history, we can recall the formation of the Zasechnaya cherta. The abatis were most often made of felled trees crossed with each other in the direction of an enemy. This design is more like a fence than a serious fortification, but it was a military object and used exclusively for military purposes. There are many of such examples,’’ the expert continued.
"Therefore, the problem that we are considering today is relatively new. Maybe it will seem controversial and not entirely justified, but as for me, at the global level, it can be found in the UN Charter, in which the principle of the territorial integrity of the state is one of the basic norms along with the nation’s right to self-determination. On the one hand, the state has right to build its own fence around its borders, and on the other, the self-determined people has a right to fence against the recent patron”, the expert said.
