Public Law Studies Quarterly

Nation-State Challenges in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Document Type : Article

Authors

Seyyed Mohammadreza Mottaghi 1
Hassan Khosravi 2
Bijan Abdolkarimi 3
Bizhan Abbasi 4
Ehsan Aghamohammadaghai, Ehsan 5

1 PhD student in public law, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Public Law, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

4 Prof., Department of law, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

5 Associate Professor, Department of law, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2023.354038.3251
Abstract
Since the the Peace of Westphalia and the widespread adoption of the principles and rules of modern international law, political literature has generally defined the “nation-state” through three key attributes: territory, population, and government—pillars from which most existing systems have emerged and upon which contemporary political recognition is based. However, with the rise of technological transformations known as the “fourth industrial revolution,” which increasingly blur the boundaries between the physical and cyber worlds, all three of these attributes now face serious challenges. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and relying on library research, seeks first to identify the risks associated with each of these nation-state attributes by examining the various dimensions of these technological changes. It then addresses the question: what is the future of the nation-state in this era? According to the findings, the expansion of the digital economy, 2D and 3D internet, and smart governance is likely to undermine the traditional, physically grounded attributes of the nation-state. This evolution may pave the way for the emergence of cyber states—formally or effectively—based on a hybrid world (physical-cyber) with a corresponding class of influential actors adapted to this new reality.

Keywords

the fourth industrial revolution
cyber government
state
nation-state
country
nation
Subjects

  1. English

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Public Law Studies Quarterly
Volume 55, Issue 4 - Serial Number 44
Winter 2026
Winter 2026
Pages 2395-2413

  • Receive Date 21 January 2023
  • Revise Date 18 March 2023
  • Accept Date 22 May 2023

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