Number two, what is this right to exist? Where does it come from? Because states don’t have a right to exist. No such natural or legal right exists. People, individuals have a right to exist. Human beings have that right. Not states, not countries. States change their composition, their governing structures, their ideologies, their regimes, their borders all the time. They’re not fixed for eternity.

I think this is the strongest argument when faced with this question. While I already agree with the premise that people have inherent, inalienable rights and nation states do not, I find that others will argue that their nation state also has the “right to exist”. And that’s when the examples come in handy:

• Did Nazi Germany have the right to exist?
• Did apartheid South Africa have the right to exist?
• Did Rhodesia have the right to exist?

In each case, most people would say no, those nation states did not have the right to exist, not in those forms.