"Does a global economy render the traditional nation-state obsolete? Does globalization threaten democratic life, or offer it new forms of expression? What are the implications of globalization for our understanding of politics and of national and cultural identities? " "In the Postnational Constellation, the leading German philosopher and social theorist Jurgen Habermas addresses these and other questions. He explores topics such as the historical and political origins of national identity, the catastrophes and achievement of 'the long twentieth century', the future of democracy in the wake of the era of the nation-state, the moral and political challenges facing the European Union, and the status of global human rights in the ongoing debate on the sources of cultural identity. In their scope, critical insight, and argumentative clarity, the essays in The Postnational Constellation present a powerful vision of the contemporary political scene and of the challenges and opportunities we face in the new millennium. "--Jacket.