Divided

Introduction: The Return of Global Borders

The fall of the Berlin Wall thirty years ago suggested a future of openness and international cooperation. However, that era of optimism has faded, replaced by a fortress mentality. Despite the rise of globalization and digital technology, physical barriers are proliferating worldwide. Today, at least sixty-five countries have built walls along their borders. From the fences dividing European nations to the massive fortifications across the Middle East and Asia, these structures represent a growing global desire to separate us from them.

This urge to divide is deeply rooted in human history. Tim Marshall notes that our ancestors transitioned from wandering hunter-gatherers to settled farmers who needed to protect land and resources. This shift birthed the first walls and fortresses, creating a lasting link between security and physical separation.

Modern walls serve different purposes but stem from similar protective instincts. While modern walls are often built to manage mass migration or prevent terrorism, they also reflect internal anxieties about changing demographics and economic instability. Even in the digital world, social media has reinforced these tribal instincts, allowing people to retreat into echo chambers that foster hostility toward outsiders.

Beyond concrete and barbed wire, the most significant barriers are often those held in the mind. These invisible walls are built on differences in religion, race, and political ideology. Marshall illustrates this through an encounter with a journalist who refused to acknowledge members of a different religious sect as part of his own faith. Such rigid identities make compromise difficult and conflict more likely. Whether it is the political polarization in the United States, the religious rivalries in the Middle East, or the resurgence of nationalism in Europe, these divisions shape the modern world.