The Rise Of Nationalism

The Return Of Toxic Nationalism -- Fred Kaplan, Wall Street Journal

The spread of universal values is being rolled back on many fronts, from Russia to the Middle East.

Western elites believe that universal values are trumping the forces of reaction. They wax eloquent about the triumph of human rights, women's liberation, social media, financial markets, international and regional organizations and all the other forces that are breaking down boundaries separating humanity.

Tragically, they are really observing a self-referential world of global cosmopolitans like themselves. In country after country, the Westerners identify like-minded, educated elites and mistake them for the population at large. They prefer not to see the regressive and exclusivist forces—such as nationalism and sectarianism—that are mightily reshaping the future.

Read more ....

My Comment: I completely concur with this analysis because I saw this first hand when I visited China in September. My Chinese hosts .... people that I have known for over 25 years .... were adopting positions and altitudes that can only be described as radical Chinese nationalism. As far as they were concerned .... China's demands on what it believed were it's maritime borders were valid, and that China should be prepared to go to war if necessary. When I talked about the consequences of such actions .... they were the least bothered by it .... going to war was not a worry for them?!?!?!. When I stopped over in Japan I saw the same altitudes forming (albeit at least a year behind) of Japanese nationalism and the now acceptable belief that the Japanese will need to boost their military forces .... a completely forbidden topic only a decade ago.

I am not familiar with the pan-Arab nationalism that is occurring in the Middle East .... but the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have clearly touched a nerve in a large segment of the population and are using this base to propel themselves to power. Europe has not escaped this trend either .... I see the growth and use of nationalism by political parties in Russia, Greece, Ukraine, and Hungary .... and I expect this trend to sweep through the other European countries.

Throughout history nationalism has been a tool that was used to "whip up" public sentiment for war .... and all that it ever brought was even more war and suffering. Are we repeating history? I hope not .... but the trends are clearly there.