The Borders We Share: A New Way to Fix a Broken World
Section 7 Recap: Deserts and Plains (Posts 37–42)
Overview of the Arid Descent
Section 7: Deserts and Plains forms a pivotal chapter in The Borders We Share series, leading us on a vast, sun-scorched, wind-whipped journey through six posts that descend from the vertical frontiers of cities and rocks into the horizontal immensity of deserts and grasslands. From the wind-whispered, magnetically merged dunes of Laputa and the Sahara to the bleeding steppes of Cimmeria and Eurasia, from the unclaimed nowhere of Erewhon and Sinai to the crowned voids of Narnia and Sudan, and finally to the fading emerald plains of Oz and the Australian Outback, this section has explored the slow, patient violence of aridity and the quiet, stubborn resilience of those who live where green turns to dust and dust threatens to erase memory itself. Each post, from 37 to 42, has paired a mythic or fictional arid/grassland realm with a real-world counterpart, revealing how sovereignty in these open spaces is measured not in metres of altitude but in litres of water, hectares of grazing land, and the number of footsteps that can still cross a border before the sand or dust claims everything.
The journey has been marked by persistent, cautious hope: that even in places where life hangs by the thinnest thread of water or grass, dialogue and shared stewardship can turn scarcity into sufficiency. Through Dr. Jorge’s scholarly lens, Holmes’s relentless evidence-gathering, Watson’s meticulous notes, and Arthur’s quiet moral weight, we have witnessed councils where exiled cartographers, Sahrawi refugees, Kazakh herders, Bedouin elders, Dinka cattlemen, Arrernte song-keepers, Munchkin farmers, Warlpiri women, and many others have proposed frameworks for peace. These proposals—shared commissions, residency pathways, ecological corridors, veto rights, transparent naming of workers—have sought to transform deserts and plains from arenas of exclusion into shared horizons where no one is scenery and no one is ballast. This descent concludes Section 7 with the recognition that sand and grass remember every footprint, every promise kept or broken, and that the ground beneath us is always listening.
Key Deserts and Plains Explored
Post 37: Laputa’s Dunes, Sahara’s Split: Sand for All
The section opened with Laputa’s Waste (the crescent dunes formed by crystal extraction) and the Sahara (especially Western Sahara). Dune nomads and Sahrawi voices paralleled each other. The council proposed shared commissions, extraction caps, aquifer recharge, and residency pathways, restoring displaced families on both sides and addressing 18,000 tonnes of annual sand loss and 173,000 refugees in Tindouf camps.
Post 38: Cimmeria’s Flats, Steppes’ Stretch: Dust Meets Grass
Cimmeria’s brooding plains (stretched by Laputa’s magnetic pull) met the Eurasian steppe (Russia–Kazakhstan border). Conan, Bêlit’s daughter, Kazakh herders, and activists spoke. The accord established grassland commissions, soil regeneration funds, and shared ecological corridors to halt 14,000 hectares of annual erosion in Cimmeria and 1.8 million hectares of pasture loss on the steppe.
Post 39: Erewhon’s Sands, Sinai’s Edge: Nowhere to Share
Erewhon’s high plateau (Butler’s satirical nowhere-land) paralleled the Sinai Peninsula. Erewhon citizens and Bedouin elders voiced their claims. The Sand Accord created joint commissions, water caps, residency pathways, and shared courts to protect aquifers and grazing rights, addressing 11,000 hectares of annual sand loss in Erewhon and 10,800 hectares of grazing land lost in Sinai since 2000.
Post 40: Narnia’s Wastes, Sudan’s Split: Kings of Nothing
Narnia’s Great Desert (the southern reach beyond the Lantern Waste) met the Sudan–South Sudan border wastes. Talking Beasts and pastoralists (Dinka, Nuer) spoke. The Wastes Accord set up desert commissions, recharge programmes, residency pathways, and shared courts to protect grazing corridors and water flows, addressing 12,000 hectares of annual sand loss in Narnia and 11,800 hectares of grazing land lost since 2011.
Post 41: Oz’s Plains, Outback’s Reach: Emerald to Dust
Oz’s flat emerald country met the Australian Outback. Munchkins, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Arrernte elders, and Warlpiri women spoke. The Plains Accord created joint commissions, soil regeneration funds, residency pathways, and shared courts to halt 9,000 hectares of meadow loss in Oz and 8,900 hectares of grazing land loss in Australia since 2015.
Post 42: Laputa’s Dunes, Part II: Quantum Sands
The section closed by returning to Laputa’s Waste and the Sahara, now entangled by wind and magnetic drift. Nomads, Sahrawi refugees, Polisario commanders, and Moroccan voices spoke of shared memory and living boundaries. The Quantum Sands Accord deepened shared commissions, raised revenue shares for resettlement and schools, and reinforced cross-border courts and transparency rules to manage the breathing, moving frontier, addressing 18,000 tonnes of annual sand exchange and the fate of 2,900 nomad families and 173,000 Sahrawi refugees.
Themes Woven Through the Deserts and Plains
Across these six arid landscapes, recurring themes have emerged like wind-carved patterns in sand. The tension between distant claims and lived reality—Laputa’s scholars ignoring nomads, Morocco’s infrastructure versus Sahrawi exile, pastoral leases versus songlines—underscored the cost of treating inhabitants as scenery. Environmental fragility was constant: topsoil loss, aquifer depletion, dune migration, grass die-back. Historical and ongoing dispossession cast long shadows: colonial borders, forced displacements, resource extraction. Yet each post proposed shared-sovereignty models that balanced equal voices, traditional roles for elders and nomads, ecological rewards (recharge, regeneration, corridors), and support for the vulnerable through residency pathways, schools, and transparent naming of workers.
Regional mediators (UN, Omani elders, Latin American guarantor models) and global precedents provided scaffolds, tested by pilot zones, joint courts, and transparent ledgers. Challenges persisted: prestige payoffs for distant capitals, external resource interests (oil, mining, phosphates), and the moral weight of displacement—from 1,100 Munchkins to 173,000 Sahrawi refugees. These themes wove a narrative of cautious hope: that even in the arid heart, where life hangs by the thinnest thread of water or grass, shared stewardship can turn scarcity into sufficiency.
Cultural and Historical Insights
The cultural richness of desert and plain peoples has been a cornerstone. Sahrawi keys to houses never returned to, Laputan nomads’ oases that vanish with magnetic tides, Kazakh herders’ ancient valleys, Bedouin songlines across Sinai granite, Dinka cattle corridors, Arrernte starlit maps, Munchkin whispers in the grass—each tradition stands as testament to resilience yet faces erosion under exclusion and extraction. These voices were championed in councils that sought to preserve them, aligning with Cosmopolitanism and State Sovereignty’s emphasis on moral equality. Historical layers—Spanish withdrawal (1975), Mabo (1992), CPA (2005), independence referendum (2011)—illuminated how colonial and post-colonial lines continue to fracture lives, while reformers pushed for equity. Fictional counterparts (Laputa’s Waste, Narnia’s dunes) served as allegorical mirrors, allowing timeless exploration of sovereignty where real timelines are heavy with pain. This blend, grounded in data (e.g., 18,000 tonnes sand exchange, 1.8 million hectares pasture loss), enriched the section, offering a multidimensional view that Territorial Disputes in the Americas seeks to expand.
Achievements and Challenges
Achievements are tangible and symbolic. Collaborative efforts across posts restored thousands of displaced families, recharged aquifers, regenerated soil, reopened corridors, and funded schools and residency pathways. Shared commissions, veto rights, and transparency rules (worker naming, revenue shares) created measurable benchmarks. Pilot zones and joint courts proved dialogue’s power.
Challenges loomed large: skepticism from academies and capitals, external resource interests, historical mistrust, and environmental fragility (dune migration, grass die-back). These obstacles highlighted the core task: transforming wary echoes into trust, requiring sustained effort and international support, setting the stage for future exploration.
Looking Ahead
As Section 7: Deserts and Plains concludes, the journey shifts to flowing new horizons with Section 8: Rivers and Flows (Posts 43–48), resuming Tuesday 24 February 2026. This upcoming section will explore how water—life’s most intimate border—can divide or unite.
Post 43: Sherwood’s Stream, Nile’s Flow: Green to Blue – Robin’s river meets Egypt-Ethiopia Nile tensions.
Post 44: Laputa’s Falls, Mekong’s Rush: Sky to Stream – Laputa’s waters rush toward China-SE Asia Mekong disputes.
Post 45: Utopia’s Banks, Indus’ Bend: Perfect Waters – Utopian rivers parallel India-Pakistan Indus claims.
Post 46: Ruritania’s Tide, Danube’s Dance: Crowns of Current – Ruritanian tides meet Romania-Ukraine Danube.
Post 47: Narnia’s Run, Euphrates’ End: Royal Rivers – Narnian flows join Turkey-Iraq Euphrates.
Post 48: Cimmeria’s Flood, Amur’s Edge: Dust Washes East – Cimmerian rivers wash toward Russia-China Amur.
This transition from arid plains to living rivers promises to extend the series’ theme of transforming conflict into cooperation. Join me, Dr. Jorge, at https://drjorge.world or X as we follow the water’s path toward shared futures.
Trails to Wander:
• Sovereignty Conflicts (2017).
• Territorial Disputes (2020).
• Cosmopolitanism and State Sovereignty (2023).
• Territorial Disputes in the Americas (2025).
NOTE:
New posts every Tuesday.
PREVIOUS POSTS:
Post 42: Laputa’s Dunes, Part II: Quantum Sands
NEXT POSTS:
Available on Tuesday 10th March 2026:
Bonus Post: A Tapestry of Shared Horizons – Summing Up The Borders We Share (Sections 1–7)
And thereafter:
Section 8: Rivers and Flows (Posts 43–48)
43, Sherwood’s Stream, Nile’s Flow: Green to Blue
44, Laputa’s Falls, Mekong’s Rush: Sky to Stream
45, Utopia’s Banks, Indus’ Bend: Perfect Waters
46, Ruritania’s Tide, Danube’s Dance: Crowns of Current
47, Narnia’s Run, Euphrates’ End: Royal Rivers
48, Cimmeria’s Flood, Amur’s Edge: Dust Washes East
AUTHOR’S SAMPLE PEER-REVIEWED ACADEMIC RESEARCH (FREE OPEN ACCESS):
State Sovereignty: Concept and Conceptions (OPEN ACCESS) (IJSL 2024)
AUTHOR’S PUBLISHED WORK AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE VIA:
AMAZON
ROUTLEDGE, TAYLOR & FRANCIS
Tuesday 24th February 2026
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
X (formerly, Twitter): https://x.com/DrJorge_World
https://drjorge.world
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