As the internationalists broke free, the situation polarised people. The stay-at-homes became more conservative, more nationalistic (in a practical if not political sense). The brain-drain to the internationalists left those who couldn't or wouldn't join behind on the national level, where they have created cultures centred on the local rather than the global.
Life goes on, but there is no real future. It is incomprehensible and run by the inats.
To the nationalists, the internationalist optimism is felt like an insult. Many feel suppressed, unnecessary or ignored and hence turn away from the self-help ethos. Peer pressure and learned helpnessness inhibits the ambitions of many: why bother, you are worthless anyway and those who try to become something are just wannabees. The result is a vicious circle, where people are not motivated to take charge of their lives and develop themselves, which leads to a lack of examples for others and growing rifts between the "cans" and "cannots", which in turn makes the resistance against "Them" increases which in turn lessens the motivation to brige the rifts. Instead of the global people turn to the local, national and traditional. The own group is valued higher at the expense of all others.
Unemployment is high, as people have a hard time moving from the old industrial economy to the network economy. The demands for the new jobs are so high that they require significant education (practically always an least university degree), something many feel little motivated to seek or simply cannot reach.
There is a large group of people with little to do, both unemployed and retirees. They do not fill any economic niche: they do not produce anything and while they are consumers the money for their consumption comes from local governments or support from the market. The result is a culture dominated by "bread and circuses" - sponsored food and living, lotteries, interactive soap operas and other entertainment. They are used to accepting whatever they are given as their are aware they are not really needed; this depressing awareness of course strengthens their helplessness.
Many turn more to traditional, "national" culture and pursuits. Neoconservative movements such as the Brothers of the Land or nationalist movements proclaim the supremacy of "spiritually true" traditional art and life over internationalism. In some areas they go so far that they attempt to filter out the pernicious internationalist influences.
Global communications pose a double-bind for most nationalists - they are necessary, but filled with internationalism and internationalist temptations. However, cultural barriers have proven very good at limiting the impact of the Net, and as teaching English in many nations have been toned down (officially for lack of funds and due to the easy access to translation software) many simply turn to Net information in their own national language.
Organisations
States
There are many kinds of states and regions. The states have largely lost their power to smaller regions, but remain important administrative and political entities.
Client states are little more than local
administrative structures that act as housekeepers for the internationalists
and their regions, nightwatch states maintaining local infrastructure
and mediating conflicts. Typical examples would be Somalia, Marocco, California
and many of the Indonesian mini-states.
Independent states retain a measure
of power and will at the national level; even if they have to accept the
internationalists to survive they do not give up their independence. Their
relationship with the internationalists varies, some are cordial others
nearly hostile. As international cooperation between the states either
became part of the internationalist domain or vanished, most independent
states are inward-turning, the government caring more for internal affairs
than what the neighbours are doing.
Isolationist nations like Egypt, Sweden,
Belorussia and Taiwan China have opted out of the international game altogether.
They have traded the world economy and its prosperity for independence,
often for highly ideological reasons. In the end it leaves them poor and
drained of nearly everybody with a scrap of internationalist ambition,
a situation that often suits their leaders and ultra-nationalistic movements
perfectly.
There are also places that are simply
too chaotic to be a part of the modern world, such as most of former China. They are too unstable to attract investment,
and hence have a hard time growing towards stability. It is a vicious
circle that leaves them and their inhabitants behind. Many of the old
problem areas of the 20th century such as central Africa, Colombia
or Russia have actually avoided this fate, and instead become weak client
or independent regions.
The United Nations
As the national states were eclipsed,
the United Nation remained. It is to a large extent a powerless organisation,
but acts as a forum for the various nations to express their views and
wishes. Many internationalists joke that it is a powerless organisation
representing the interests of other powerless organisations. Still, it
has become an official spokesorganisation for the nationalists against
the internationalists on the Net, and its views are sometimes requested.
There are also many former UN projects and organisations that are still
running, some sponsored by internationalists (such as education projects
and the Force Pasteur), some still funded by national governments.
The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church resisted the globalisation in the 00's and 10's, allying with many other religious groups protesting what they considered materialism, a break with spiritual tradition, the decay of cherished values and hubristic biomedicine. They got strong support from national governments and organisations, and as the situation polarised the Vatican found itself firmly on the nationalist side. This position was emphasised under the conservative popes Sixtus V and Hadrianus II, and today the Church is one of the major worldwide nationalist organisations. It has significant power in many areas thanks to religious nationalist revivals, and enjoy good relations with many national governments.
The Greys
The greys are an important factor everywhere. The old are a large group with significant political power, and the idea of old as frail has long since vanished thanks to modern biomedicine. As the gray boom began in the 00's, they became staunch defenders of the nations against the internationalists in many places since they realised they were dependent on national pensions and well functioning health care systems, something they viewed the internationalists as unable to provide. As the national level lost, the original aggressive grey movement splintered. A large group of old grudgingly accepted defeat and adapted to the changed, more restrictive circumstances. One fraction switched sides, seeing the internationalist culture as the only solution and moving out into it as "the international old". Another fraction became fiercely nationalistic, the core of many local nationalist groups proclaiming conservative values and traditions or moving full-time into politics. Today many national governments, especially the more isolationist ones are dominated by these elders.
Brothers of the Land
The Brothers of the Land emerged in
the late 10's as a revival movement in the US. It centred around the preacher
Henry Iwerson and his best-selling book/net-show Voice of the Land, a
combination of conservative Christian values, environmentalist and anti-globalist
sentiments. It was a huge success among many people distrusting the new
uncertainties forced onto them, and led to the funding of many small churches,
organisations and networks. After Iwerson's death in 2019 the many groups
began to network together into an unified movement (although great differences
still persist; opponents joke that the Brothers suffer from sibling rivalry)
which has gained significant power in many regions, especially those left
behind in the internationalisation.
The ideology of the brothers is basically
conservative, against advanced technology, global economy and internationalism.
While christianity is a common basis, the Brothers have been open for
green new age and environmental mysticism, the importance is the shared
values rather than exact details of belief. The Brothers regard the modern
world as corrupted by the high-flying visions of people who have lost
touch with the land, the old culture, with the sacred; only the plain
people that retain the ties to the true and natural will be happy and
spiritual. Hence internationalism must be countered wherever it appears,
the Net needs to be monitored or avoided, local communities and old traditions
safeguarded and the politicians reigned in so that they do not sell out
the spirit of people in their pursuit of power and irrelevant economic
goals. There are some offshoots of the Brothers that have turned to terrorism
or activist attacks against the internationalists, but they have been
roundly condemned for their misunderstanding of the basic tenets of the
Brothers.