Borders: A Very Short Introduction, by Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen, is a brief history of geographic borders and their implications on the world throughout the history. Diener and Hagen argue that borders, as commonly understood today, are a relatively new phenomenon and that as humanity advances, modern borders will no longer be possible. The authors argue that as globalization continues to shrink the size of the world or, as they say, “make the world flat,” the notion of a formal border between states is slowly coming to an end. Recognizing that boundaries as we understand them today will not disappear overnight and will be there for the foreseeable future, but will have to change over time is at the heart of their argument (Diener & Hagen, 2012). . In making their point, they give the reader a brief history of geographic boundaries and the birth of the modern nation-state. As nomadic societies evolved into cities, then city-states, and eventually empires, established borders slowly began to take shape. From the Sumerians around 4000 BCE to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, what began as a loosely guarded boundary line eventually became the firm geographic boundaries used throughout the world today. Diener and Hagen detail how these borders have been used as both unifying and divisive forces since the beginning, but as globalization continues to sweep the planet, the idea of ​​borders and the way they are used must be re-evaluated. In their final paragraph, the authors summarize their argument by expressing that as globalization continues to advance, it is important to reevaluate the modern understanding of borders and their impacts on the global community (Diener & Hagen, 2012). .... in the middle of the document...... it would be better if this was an introduction rather than something that is offered at the end of the semester. Borders provides a brief overview of important questions students will encounter during the semester. The book would be a great way to introduce students to the ideas they will encounter in the upcoming semester. This would be a great way to prepare them for what they are going to read in each module of the Key Concepts book. Therefore, Borders receives a nod when it comes to determining whether or not it should be used in future courses. Works CitedDiener, AC and Hagen, J. (2012). Borders: a very brief introduction. Great Britain: Oxford University Press. Retrieved March 1, 2014Gallaher, C., Dahlman, CT, Gilmartin, M., Mountz, A., and Shirlow. (2009). Key concepts of the political journey. Thousand Oaks, California, United States: SAGE.