Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Globalisation and Nationalism are two central phenomena of the modern world.It is important to analyse the relationship between nationalism and globalisation because of the varying opinions held in regards to what effects globalisation has had internationally, its results and impacts, how did it influence nationalism, so far and how Patriotism is getting re-defined in an age of globalisation and resurgence of nationalism.When globalisation began to accelerate in the 1990s, globalists rejoiced and predicted that globalism would eventually weaken nationalism and international organisations, particularly the UN, would become more powerful. However, such optimism has turned out to be an unfulfilled dream.All the most powerful forces in business, technology and finance seemed to be pushing towards deeper international integration. New supranational organisations such as the World Trade Organisation, the G20 and the International Criminal Court were set up to handle the cross-border issues that proliferated in a globalised world. Meanwhile the European Union, an organisation in which countries pool sovereignty and forswear nationalism, set itself up as the political model for the 21st century.The most widely identified point in history for globalisation is the industrial revolution.The increased flow of capital, technology, people, and customs due to globalisation has placed the role of contemporary nationalism into question. Globalization and nationalism have had a, largely contemporary, rift due to the magnitude to which globalisation has occurred in the 21st century. Such increased globalisation has put into question what it means to be a citizen of a state, whether or not state's still have distinctive cultures, and to what extent distinct national borders are still relevant. It begins to bug the question as to whether nationalism has increased or decreased due to modern globalisation.Globalisation's effects on national identity are widely disputed. While some regard globalisation as undermining national identity and increasing cosmopolitanism. Others argue that it works in the opposite direction, possibly even reinforcing national feelings in the form of a backlash.The third argument says that globalisation has increased the sense of nationalism in such a way that national extremism has emerged, anyways extreme right wing nationalism is a political phenomenon rather than a mass movement, which was implemented by cultural authoritarianism. However, globalisation and nationalism promoted each other indeed, as a result of back lash or otherwise. Therefore, both globalisation and nationalism can co-exist in harmony and benefit from each other, then the patriotism which is defined 'as love and admiration for one's own country for what it does and willingness to die to defend it, if required ' will often be in conflict with nationalism, which advocates love for country no matter what it does. A patriot may take a stand against certain forms of globalisation as well as extreme nationalism based on the issues pertaining to it and criticise. Globalists may ignore or rubbishes it and nationalist would consider it as disloyalty at the best and treason at worst, unfortunately even in democratic countries bringing the freedom of speech and intolerance to difference of opinion into the debate.The former president of France, Charles de Gaulle, once said: Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first. Nationalism is when hate for people other than your own comes first.George Orwell wrote that "nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism." For Orwell "patriotism is, of its nature, defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power"If you want to understand why nationalism and right-wing populism have grown so strong so quickly, you must start by looking at the actions of the globalists. In a sense, the globalists "started it."