Nationalism

Nationalism bothers me. Too many people believe that their nation is more important than others, and the good of their nation supersedes all else. In reading Walter Isaacson’s wonderful biography of Albert Einstein, I discovered that this brilliant scientist developed a taste for current affairs in addition to physics. He was a pacifist, against war of any kind (aren’t most of us?), but Hitler’s rise made him waver on the principles of pacifism. In fact he proposed that an international entity should be established that could transcend national sovereignty by imposing the resolution of disputes. This would require the surrender by every nation of a bit of its sovereignty. He tried his idea on Sigmund Freud, another great mind of that time period. As you might expect Freud was bleak, and confirmed that man has an active instinct for hatred and destruction, along with a separate need to conserve and unify. The idea of a “united nations” with teeth was of course a pipe dream.

Here was are, over 75 years after Hitler’s failure, and we seem to be watching a similar force, in Vladimir Putin. His belief in the power of his nation (and his right to rule it, of course) should take precedence over the rights of the Ukrainians to conduct their own nation. Are we heading toward another world war, based on these commitments to nationalism? I don’t know, i hope not, but i fear it. The nationalism espoused by Donald Trump in USA (“America First”), by Putin, by the populist leaders of several other countries – they make the world a less attractive place.

I find encouragement in small steps, however, the departure of Donald Trump (at least for now) from power, the re-election of Emmanual Macron over right-wing populist Putin fan Marine Le Pen, and a similar win the nation of Slovenia.

Why should America be first, anyway? We became great because we were seem as a beacon of freedom, willing to help others, and to accept others. We are a country made up of immigrants!