This chapter reflects on the contribution of this book to the new generation of literature on both the state and the nation. It reviews the arguments and evidence presented in earlier chapters from a critical perspective, however, engaging the main vulnerabilities and critiques of the argument. The chapter then turns to speculate about a broader statement of the theoretical tension between state-building and nation-building – beyond the context of bureaucratic selection. Finally, it concludes with some reflections on the normative implications of the argument.