Nationalism: has this movement placed the world at risk of global conflicts

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Nationalism: The enthusiastic belief in one’s nation, that the nation should be above all else superior to others: economically, politically, religiously and socially.

The past few decades we have been witnessing a resurgence of cultural nationalism, and this movement has placed the world at risk of global conflicts.

India’s present-day election may well find Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s Administration re-elected with a possible majority. Since his election, India has been moving towards a Pan-Hinduism with policies that exclude other faiths, particularly Islam from governmental positions of power and influence, supporting Hindu lead businesses while ignoring others, allowing Hindu corporations full sway in regions of economic and industrial development, and creating a Hindu lead military, excluding others to promotions and advancement.

The Prime Ministers speeches often sound much like those of Adolf Hitler’s, filled with racist, anti-Muslim intensity and negative proclamations. India has shown interest in developing greater relationships with China, both politically and economically. A strategic alliance can be underway should Prime Minister Modi achieve a solid majority in India’s Legislative Assembly.

We all know what is going on in Gaza, right? Israel has been solidifying its presence within Gaza and the Palestinian Authority for decades, while instituting a Pan-Israeli Movement centered upon the Jewish faith and culture that excludes all others within its: citizenship, economic development and future plans. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speeches have been as colourful as Prime Minister Modi’s, referring to Palestinians as vermin and an unwanted blight upon the Middle East itself.

In Latin America, various nations have leadership that embrace various forms of economic nationalism. The superpowers intrusion in this region has spurred grass roots movements to nationalize their business/economic systems, rejecting demanded controls by superpowers offering investment in return for a nation’s passivity. The rise of strong men and women will possibly incite superpower involvement as once seen in the earlier decades of this century. China has saturated this region with its: goods, manpower and investments, attempting to gain control of entire: regions, port authorities, industry and commerce.

El Salvador is a perfect example, where multitudes of warehouses hold massive amounts of Chinese products intended to flood the southern continents marketplaces. Dependence upon Chinese products will illicit undue economic and political influence/power. The nations of Central and Latin America have growing movements with nationalistic (anti-foreigner) political ambitions.

America has Donald Trump and his Republican supporters, all making promises once again such as “To make America Great again.” Apparently, they failed in the past, and instead of looking for a third political option, the public are attempting to do “A do over.” Cannot help but shake my head, saying a prayer for America, its people and the opportunities it had to in fact become greater, better, and more empathic.

The EU has numerous nationalistic political parties that are doing very well at the polls. Italy elected an admirer of Il Duce, Benito Mussolini to be their Female Prime Minister. The administration faces right wing demands daily, and soon enough P.M. Meloni will acquire enough power to initiate further right-wing nationalistic policies, like: rejecting and exiling migrants from Italy, refusing to offer public services to these outsiders, and carrying out a social purge of all things not Italian.

The Netherlands have escalating levels of anti-migrant, anti-Muslim violence and political pressures. Eastern Europe and the Balkans have remained the most resistant to migration practices, with various political parties pressuring for migrants to be ejected from their territory, and not be allowed to enter their national territories. Sweden experiences nights of continual clashes between migrants and far right combatants. Public opinion is being swayed towards a more insular security policy that will reject the acceptance of migrants unless they fill the racial category acceptable to a public that feels they are under siege from outsiders. Marine Le Pen’s right wing nationalist party continues to do well in the polls.

Is history repeating itself? Does the present-day situation look a lot like the time period of say 10-15 years before the Second World War?

All that is needed to happen is an economic crisis similar to the great depression and the historical cycle will be complete. The Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Gaza, Middle Eastern tensions with Chinese Expansionism all add to a formula leading to international conflagration.