Chapter 3: The State in International Relations- Nationalism and State Power in Dystopian Futures

Introduction

Imagine living in a world where a single, all-powerful state controls everything—your food, your resources, and even your survival. Sound like something out of a movie? Well, it is! Understanding the state—the nation-state, to be exact—is at the very heart of international relations because states are the main players on the global stage. From providing security and stability to shaping identities and ideologies, states determine how people live, interact, and, at times, fight for freedom. But what happens when a state fails its people or goes too far in its quest for control? Enter The Hunger Games series—a dystopian masterpiece that provides the perfect case study for understanding state power, its limits, and the struggles that arise when citizens resist oppression. After all, nothing brings political theory to life quite like a good fictional uprising… or a bow-wielding teenager ready to take down the system.

Using The Hunger Games as our guide, this chapter will explore how nationalism, state sovereignty, and government systems (like democracy, socialism, and fascism) operate, sometimes to unite societies and other times to tear them apart. We’ll also look at what happens when states fail, the process of rebuilding, and how the nature of statehood is changing in a globalized world. Along the way, we’ll test major international relations theories—like realism, liberalism, and Marxism—by throwing them into the dystopian chaos of Panem to see how they hold up. Don’t worry, there won’t be any actual Hunger Games here, but there will be plenty of insights into how power works and what happens when states lose their balance. Let the learning begin—and may the odds of understanding international relations be ever in your favor!

SPOILER WARNING: This chapter will reference specific characters and events from the film The Hunger Games, some of which may spoil major plot points. If you would like to watch the film before you continue, I highly recommend it. HCC students can watch the film for free through our library’s Swank account here: The Hunger Games (2012) Not an HCC student? Check your streaming platforms or local library for access!