The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, after Czech affirmation, formally would endorse what may well be termed as end of 'the nation state. Europe is now going to have its own President, a Foreign Minister with his own diplomatic corps and a whole host of other super-officials. To be sure that this is not an exaggerated view of things, just take a look at the politics of the British opposition. The Conservatives, ardent opponents of the British participation in the Lisbon Treaty, as well as other Euro-skeptics like the Czech President who resisted the Treaty tooth and nail for so long, are now all on board. Their opposition to the Treaty were the last vestiges of the reluctance to cede national sovereignty. The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty may be important for Europe alone but its implication for the international infrastructure as a whole are simply too great to be ignored. Simply put, this marks an end to the post-Word War II world. Even more significantly for the world beyond Europe, Lisbon Treaty has given international credence to the idea, which has existed in the Muslim world for decades that an Islamic Caliphate formed after unification of the Muslim lands is plausible, after all. From the war in Afghanistan and Iraq to the issues of Kashmir, Chechnya and Palestine, there is a lot of common ground. In fact, a powerful and united European Superstate may have been a new idea for the Europeans but the idea of being part of a greater Muslim Ummah never ceased to exist for Muslims. It may actually be an inevitable political reality now. -MOEZ MOBEEN, Islamabad, November 6.