League of Nationalists

Despite living in a world that shares numerous global challenges, voters increasingly place their trust in a new nationalism. Some are unnerved by lost jobs and blame an increasing number of foreign-born living in their midst. Others long for self-reliance. “All societies draw on nationalism of one sort or another to define relations between the state, the citizen and the outside world,” notes the Economist, reviewing nationalistic trends and observing that “countries are shifting from the universal, civic nationalism towards the blood-and-soil, ethnic sort.” Proponents of nationalsim support one another's extreme platforms that warn of an invasion of outsiders and offer quick fixes. Many fearful of change support strong personalities who talk tough and display protectionist and authoritarian tendencies. Citizens expect such leaders to control the outsiders even though history suggests the controlling ways eventually expand to new targets: “nationalism is a cheap and easy way to generate enthusiasm for the state, and to deflect blame for what is wrong.” Such leaders are competitive and bound to turn on one another. Many view cooperation and compromise as weakness and reject the desire to be a good global citizen as unpatriotic. Still, the youth of many countries embrace globalization, offering a distant promise of a more realistic global outlook. – YaleGlobal