He Got It Wrong
In a striking display of rhetorical ignorance, French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking today on the one hundredth anniversary of the end of World War One, got it WRONG. In a short sighted and poorly veiled insult aimed at President Trump and contemporary America, Macron cautioned the world against… the rise of NATIONALISM!…. Really?…. It’s nationalism, Monsieur Macron, that you’re afraid of?…. It’s nationalism that ravaged your country and most of Europe in two of the most destructive conflicts the world has ever seen?…. Perhaps it’s time to pick up a dictionary.
It was NOT nationalism that drove the world into the two world wars. It was NOT nationalism that drove Austria-Hungary to annex Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908 thereby angering the restive Slavs producing the animus that lead to the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, thereby officially starting the First World’s War. It was NOT nationalism that drove Germany to invade Poland on September 1, 1939, beginning the Second World’s war. It was NOT nationalism that drove Japan to attack our Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, thereby ushering America into the war.
It was NOT, ladies and gentlemen, nationalism leading to war in ANY of these cases…. Had Monsieur Macron consulted a dictionary, he would have learned that it was IMPERIALISM that was to blame.
Imperialism is an expansionist philosophy that has, at its core, a desire for political hegemony. Its “élan vital”, if you will, is a drive to expand, subjugate and dominate other groups, societies or nations. The German national anthem “Deutschland Über Alles” (“Germany Over All”) is an example of such an ethos. Signs displayed often in Muslim demonstrations saying “Islam Will Dominate The World” is a more contemporary example.
Nationalism, on the other hand, is, in essence, a love of one’s country. Its “élan vital” is promoting the strength of one’s country and the well being of fellow citizens. It does NOT necessarily require or even encourage dominance over foreign groups or nations. Although imperialism in some cases has had a positive influence on history (the “Pax Romana”, or “Peace Of Rome”, for example) it has also been the source of a great deal of conflict. Unencumbered by imperialism, however, nationalism stands as a clearly positive force in history. President Trump’s “America First” slogan is an embodiment of such nationalism. But, as Mr. Trump has explained on a number of occasions, “America First” does NOT mean “America Only”. Often, promoting the interests of one’s own country results in alliances, military and economic, that benefit ALL involved. In fact, if you stop to think about it, should ANY free society elect leaders that DON’T have their national interests foremost in mind?
The fact that such a positive force as nationalism would be disparaged by a leader of a modern democracy is nothing less than shocking. No, Monsieur Macron, we needn’t worry about the rise of nationalism. We must worry, instead, about democracies bereft of the healthy spirit of nationalism that nourishes their people, identity and culture. We should be especially worried about democracies that can’t or won’t defend themselves against attack, be it military or cultural, from sworn enemies. THAT, Monsieur Macron, is what we have to worry about.