Graham Peebles writes:

Once upon a time nationalism was an ideology reserved for extremists. But inrecent years it has moved from the irrelevant, fractious fringes to become a central movement in Western politics. Rooted in fear, it feeds on tribal instincts and has become mainstream by offering over-simplified explanations to complex problems, such as poverty and immigration.

The ideal of a post-Cold War tolerant world where resources (including food and water) areshared equitably, governments cooperate and borders soften has been usurped by rabid intolerance and racism, wall building, flag waving, cruel, unjust immigration policies and violent policing of migrants and migrant routes. Rather than addressing issues and tackling underlying causes, the ardent nationalist blames some group or other, ethnic, religious or national.

Love, distorted but potent, and hate sustain the monster: love and corrupted pride of nation and “our way of life”, seen among the flag wavers as somehow superior; hatred of “strangers”, and hatred of change to that which is familiar. It is an insularreactionarymovement of introspection and division based on false and petty notions of difference:,skin colour, religion, language, culture and even food.

Such prejudices lead to an agitation of suspicion and hatred of “foreigners”. National interests are favoured over international responsibilities; minorities and refugees insulted, abused or worse. COVID has intensified such vile human tendencies, and highlighted what were already strained relations with “outsiders” –  those that are different — and “the other”. 

People of Asian appearance have been victimised in various countries, most notably the US, Australia and Britain, trapped in refugee camps; asylum seekers/migrants have been forgotten; and vaccine nationalism – the “me first approach”, with wealthy Western countries buying up vaccines – has been widespread. As a result of this injustice, while the rich will have their populations vaccinated by late 2021, developing countries (relying on the inadequate COVAX scheme) are looking at mass vaccination by the end of 2023, if ever. It is a moral outrage that flows from and strengthens ideas of global separation, enflames resentment and will prolong the virus.

Central to the fear-inducing nationalist programme is reductive national identities and cultural images tightly packaged in “the flag”. Described as “primordial rag[s] dipped in the blood of a conquered enemy and lifted high on a stick” (by Whitney Smith, in Flags Through the Ages and Across the World), national flags evolved from battle standards and means of group identification held aloft during the Middle Ages. They are loved by nationalists who always believe their country to be ‘the greatest on Earth’, their people the strongest and the best, their way of life superior.

Such ignorant, meaningless and completely falseideas have become commonelements of political rhetoric. Politicians of all colorus in many, if not all Western democracies believe they must reinforce such crass sentiments or face losing populist support, being attacked as “enemies of the people” – as High Court Judges were in Britain during the Brexit fiasco, or labelled traitors.

Torrents of abuse

There are various interconnected threads to and expressions of nationalism, from the political realm to mainstream and social media, popular culture to education. This suffocating network strengthens discrimination and prejudice of all kinds, including racism. During the recent Euro ’21 tournamentblack England players who had missed penalties in the final were subject to a torrent of abuse online. The same England fans booed opposition teams singing national anthems and their own team, when they “took the knee” before matches a universal non-political act of solidarity which UK Home Secretary Priti Patel disparagingly described as gesture politics.

Patel was later (rightly) accused of “stoking the fires of racism” by refusing to endorse the players’ actions. Her new and widely condemned immigration policy has also given license to nationalist bigots and racists. Some of them have recently been recorded hurling abuse from the beaches of southern England at refugees in boats crossing the English Channel.

Irresponsible nationalist politicians like Patel (and the world is full of them), thick with ideology and ambition, are dogmatic in their beliefs and concerned solely with getting and retaining power. To this narcissistic end they employ the inflammatory rhetoric of nationalism – “our country”, “this great nation of ours”, “controlling immigration”, and “the flag”, predictable and crude methods used to cajole the slumbering masses and agitate their tribal tendencies.

In order to strengthen their nationalist credentials,presidents, politicians and military men and women adorn themselves with the national emblem: embossed badges, a trend led by the US, and at press briefings/interviews they are rarely seen without a flag at their side. The flag is not in itself the problem, but its growing use is a powerful sign of the unabated rise of nationalism, a trend that with the fall of Trump, many had hoped was in decline.

Unifying acts of kindness

Nationalism grows out of fear; it feeds hate, leads to violence and creates a climate of “us” and “them”. It thrives and is dependent upon such divisions. The stranger, the foreigner, the refugee, the asylum seeker or the migrant is targeted – blamed for the country’s ills, slandered as criminals, rapists, murderers, accused of stealing jobs, draining health care services, degrading housing, corrupting the pristine national culture with their vile, primitive habits and beliefs.

In this way the “stranger” becomes dehumanised, making it possible to abuse and mistreat him or herin varying degrees: From verbal insults on the street, the workplace or in the classroom to violent assault; detention in offshore prisons (Australia), imprisonment for years without charge (Guantanamo), housed in inhumane conditions in refugee camps, detention centres and/or temporary housing, or allowed to drown in the Mediterranean, North Sea and elsewhere.

Such atrocities are all fine, because the men, women and children who are being mistreated constitute the “them”. ‘They are the enemy, the destroyer of civilisation and decency, less than human, even the children, and as such they deserve it. And the further away such “strangers” are kept the easier it is to perpetuate the demonisation myth, maintain suspicion and strengthen hate. Conversely, as Joe Keohane says in The Power of Strangers: the Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World, “connecting with strangers helps to dispel partisanship and categorical judgements, increase social solidarity and make us more hopeful about our lives”. Mistrust of “strangers” is strengthened by division and dispelled by contact; by sharing a moment, by acts of kindness – given and received, in which our common humanity is acknowledged.

Nationalism poisons the mind and the society and must be rooted out. Despite the apparent signs to the contrary, it is completely at odds with the tone of the times, which is towards unity – greater cooperation, tolerance and understanding. It is in reaction to this unifying movement that the demon of nationalism has risen; it is  cruel, ugly and extremely dangerous, and must be countered by unifying acts of kindness and compassionwherever it is seen.

If the unprecedented crises confronting humanity – environmental emergency, displacement of people, poverty and armed conflict – are to be faced, mitigated and overcome, individuals, communities, businesses and governments must increasingly come together, agree methods and global policies, and build integrated societies founded on compassion. Given the unprecedented scale and range of the issues, particularly climate change and the broader environmental calamity, there is no alternative.