The observation that nations generally outlast states does not explain state collapse but the endurance of old nations and the pace of state breakups does suggest that nation resistance to consolidation plays a role. To isolate nationalism in single factor analysis is not very useful for understanding state collapse. These problems and others do not result from nationalism but from state expansion. The geopolitical antagonism between states and nations is a by-product of this. States claim by occupation and seek out treaties with other states to recognize the annexations.
Older nations persist with claims to their cultural homeland.
When the breaking point comes, many states fracture along the boundaries of these old enduring nations. The collapse of the Soviet Union provides a case in point. Nationalism converged with economic, environmental, and social forces. The Soviet Union from 1917 continued this pattern of expansion. Resistance to occupation persisted throughout all seventy-five years of Soviet rule necessitating expensive internal policing, crackdowns, and army occupations.