Borders: A Very Brief Introduction, by Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen, is a brief history of geographic borders and their implications for the world throughout history. Diener and Hagen argue that borders, as commonly understood today, are a relatively new phenomenon and as humanity advances, modern borders will no longer be possible. The authors argue that as globalization continues to make the world a smaller place or, as they say, “make the world flat,” the notion of formal borders between states is slowly coming to an end. Recognizing that borders as they are understood today will not vanish overnight and will remain here for the foreseeable future, but will need to change over time is central to their argument (Diener & Hagen, 2012). In making their case, they provide the reader with a brief history of geographic boundaries and how the modern nation state came into being. As nomadic societies evolved into cities, then city-states, and finally empires, established borders slowly began to take shape. From the Sumerians around 4000 BC to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, what began as nothing more than a loosely protected dividing line eventually became the defined geographic boundaries used throughout the world today. Diener and Hagen detail how these borders have been used as both unifying and dividing forces since the beginning, but as globalization continues to engulf the planet, the idea of ​​borders and how they are used must be reevaluated. In the final paragraph the authors summarize their argument by stating that, as globalization continues to advance, it is important to reevaluate modern understandings of borders and the impacts they have on the world community (Diener & Hagen, 2012). Despite the brevity of the... .... halfway through the assignment ... perhaps it would be better served as an introduction instead of something that is offered at the end of the semester. Borders provides a brief overview of important issues students will encounter throughout the semester. The book would be a great way to introduce students to the ideas they will encounter during the upcoming semester. This would be a great way to prepare them for what they will read in each module of the Key Concepts book. Therefore Borders receives favor when considering whether or not it should be used in future lessons. Works CitedDiener, A.C., & Hagen, J. (2012). Borders: a very brief introduction. Great Britain: Oxford University Press. Retrieved March 1, 2014Gallaher, C., Dahlman, C.T., Gilmartin, M., Mountz, A., and Shirlow. (2009). Key concepts in political travel. Thousand Oaks, California, United States: SAGE.