One characterization of the word nationalism is a form of national consciousness that disparages other nations and is marked by a feeling belonging and obligation over other countries..
The inquiry of whether nationalism has had a positive force in the world today and its policies is debatable. The retort is quite evident throughout history; nationalism is a double edged sword which has resulted in one of the most destructive forces the world has ever seen, Albert Einstein himself called nationalism "an infantile disease, the measles of mankind." Yet it is nationalism that binds separated country men together, such as the case of East and West Germany.
The state’s populace usually share common characteristics, for it is what unites them. Whether be it ethnicity, language, culture or political fate, one of the most vital truths in global politics is that humanity is alienated into factions that seldom trust one another. Nevertheless, Arabic Middle Eastern nations perceive one another as allies, due to the cultural similarity and language.
Cultural similarity has lead to an undeniable sensation of rivalry, which can be seen in the course of history through the clashes of civilizations. An exceptional example would be the crusades, where Christian European nations banded together against the Muslim Arab worlds that have similarly joined forces. Samuel Huntington’s thesis written in “Clash of Civilizations” avowed that following the end of the Soviet Union, ideology would cease to be a major foundation of conflict. Alternatively, global hostilities are expected to arise where diverse cultures differ, this can be evidenced though the ‘war on terror’ and Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’, noting that none of the labeled nations had cultural similarity to the United States of America.
Moreover, a similar event occurred in the modern world in which Chinese students called for the PRC to defend North Korea during the Korean War. Their rally enjoyed popular support by the general public; the People’s Republic of China became involved in the war which consequently created rivalries and bitter history with has altered world politics.
Furthermore Adolf Hitler himself used cultural and ethnic similarity in order to promote his campaign for his mother land Austria, to unite with Germany and form the ‘Anschluss’ (Greater Germany). This later became the most successful major campaign in the recorded history of mankind as it enjoyed an overwhelming support by the Austrian populace with an approximate 94% to 99.73% approval rating.
Nevertheless, although in-groups members feel strongly obligated to one another its negative aspect is that there are no such obligations to non-members, therefore in-groups often blame out-groups for their woes and are often reluctant to lend a helping hand.
This can be seen though Iraq blaming their problems on America and Germans to Jews. In addition, Britain, France and the allies refusal to take in the Jewish when Hitler proposed to do so before Heinrich Himmler’s initiation of the ‘Final Solution’.
Additionally, nationalism has led to distrusting other nations; for it is an accepted fact that nation-states are self-interested, this factor can often be a source of conflict. Several of today’s most intractable conflicts involve people in competing identity groups. The greater the psychological distance between these groups, the more likely they will come into conflict with one another. Hence, mistrust has led to the arms race and alliances of 1879-1914 which ended in the most atrocious event, World War 1. This has in-turn led to World War 2 and finally the psychological distance between the East and the West led to the ‘Iron Curtin’ which resulted in the Cold War.
When former US President George W. Bush declared that North Korea belonged in the “Axis of Evil” along with Iraq and Iran in his State of Union speech (2002), South Koreans were enraged. Anti-American sentiments that were already escalating due to their record of War crimes in the Korean War were needlessly fueled by Bush’s epithet.
The Interesting factor is, that although South Koreans harbor resentment towards Bush’s inapt statement, they themselves portray Kim’s regime as a “barbaric tyrant whom threatens the world though pursuing weapons of mass destruction.”- (Shin, G.-W: The Politics of Ethnic Nationalism in Divided Korea). It is due to the nationalist sentiment and belief, that Koreans are a solitary being, which allows the South Koreans to differentiate between Kim’s regime and North Korean citizens.
The reaction to Bush’s statement demonstrates the sense of unity between the two nations. Both Korean leaders appealed to patriotism in the aftermath of World War two, for the unexpected territorial division between the North and South was not well received by the Korean public, both wished for reunification at the time but wished it under their own policies. The South did not have the military power to annex the North, yet the North had every capability to do so. Thus, Kim Il Sung initiated the Korean war with this very statement, "our people have lived as a homogeneous nation, whom have spoke one language for thousands of years.”
For Kim, all Koreans belonged to one ethnic nation, excluding small factions whom have “surrendered to imperialist forces.”
Under the slogan of reunification Kim declared war on the South, effectively altering Global politics, from the vilification of the North and its endless sanctions, to the legitimization of the United Nations and its additional expansion of military power.
The Korean War is largely responsible for the United States establishment of military bases around the world and its enormous budget for defense and intelligence system. The Korean War was able to reinforce the idea of a more prominent military system and the importance of the United Nations, it also heightened anti-Communist sentiment within the United States and solidified anti-US sentiment across North Korea and China.
In the name of nationalism a war erupted, countless of lives where lost and the North bombarded so heavily that no modern building survived. Consequently this war resulted in a set border between the North and South which is the most heavily guarded border in the world, and left both Korea's economically strained with a death toll of over six million: four to five million Koreans, one Million Chinese and fifthly-thousand for the Allies. Although the war ended in a draw, the only true victors were Japan, for the Korean war acted as a catalyst and bestowed a dynamic boost to their economy, due to the fact that much of the war materials where bought from nearby Japan.
Over the past decades, Korean nationalism has played a fundamental role in inter-Korean and Unites States relations. North Korean nationalism has entrenched acrimony towards foreign powers especially Japan and the United States. North Korea has promoted the Juche ideology; it perceives the Korean peninsula as a union struggling against imperial forces in order to bring together the broken society of Korea. Consequently, North Korea became a ‘Hermit Kingdom’, isolated due to its defensive form of nationalism which promotes self sufficiency. Meanwhile South Korea took an alternate approach, as of 1945 it immediately incorporated the western capitalist system and most shockingly decided to normalized its relations with Japan, which it did within two decades, effectively baring from consideration the resentment held by the populace to the Japanese government. Hence through an act, perceived by the North as a ‘national betrayal’, the South has gained exceptional economical benefits through befriending Japan, including the successful national pride, the 2002 Korea and Japan World Cup.
Despite the economic and supplementary dilemmas, North Koreans are very proud of their nation, therefore seeking to become equals to the United States. Their aspiration is being built through nuclear means in order to gain respect from other nations, particularly from the US and employ the Weapons of Mass Destruction as a military deterrent. Classifying North Korea as part of the ‘Axis of evil’ only serves as a means to nationalize bitterness towards the US to become a National Enemy, hence, escalating the county’s anxiety regarding its survival and effectively distancing it further. US policies must consider the shared national sentiments between the two Korea’s. If not, it will result in the South’s imminent division at a leisurely pace, possibly shifting its allegiance to its traditional ally China. Moreover, this transfer of focus from the Unites States to China could create an “Asian Union”, much similar to that of the ‘European Union’, which would include China and the North. This proposition, anticipated by the deceased former president of South Korea Roh Moo-hyun, has been seen as the solution for the Korean division and gradual reunification. Through these events we can identify the role of nationalism in global politics to be beneficial, whilst being unconstructive, with examples such as the North’s isolation and rejection of Japan, to the preference of a future where a Greater Korean republic exists, over an allied force with the United States, simply due to the fact that Koreans have prioritized a reunited community, over the economic benefits of siding with the US. Hence, it is easy to observe that despite globalization, ethnic nationalism continues to appeal and shape inter-Korean and US relations. Thus, in order to ensure positive relations with the South, it is necessary for the United States to be sensitive to these national sentiments
An essential trait of nationalism is its denial of sovereignty to entities other than its own citizens whilst the prioritizing its own national supremacy over others; this fact can be witnessed throughout history. During September 1956, at some stage in the Suez Crisis, during France’s desperation, a proposed a union between France and the United Kingdoms was introduced by former French Prime Minister G. Mollet with Elizabeth II as the head of state. Moreover, Mollet proposed an alternate option where France would become a subordinate nation much similar to Canada, New Zealand and Australia at the time. Nevertheless, due to the possible loss of national identity and France being a traditional national rival to the UK, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden rejected both proposals even though it predestined the French’s annihilation. Furthermore, nationalism has made it quite simple to validate war and assemble enough support from the masses in order to issue it. Nationalism undoubtedly allows the inhabitants to become proud of their country. Therefore, nations assemble up their armies, increase their weaponry and colonies in the thirst for power, in order to benefit themselves and demonstrate that they are superior or deserve respect. Many nations contested in Africa for raw materials created their own spheres of influence, nationalism has allowed citizens to segregate themselves and has enabled the masses to tolerate or even condone atrocious acts of their governments, such as the parasitic European imperial powers in South Africa, Americas and much of Africa. By itself, nationalism helped encourage countries to split from what they perceive as their captors such as empires. Much similar to Serbia’s wish of national liberation from Austria-Hungary triggered the greatest tragedy in the history of world politics, in which millions died and is to a great extent the reason why WW2 was possibility. Initially, World War 1 was popular throughout the world, much largely credited to the nationalist sentiment across Europe, and due to it received popular support by the very people whom who then became the victims of a bitter war.
Vamik Volkan emphasized the reality that segregation compels the formation of adversaries and allies, in his book ‘The Need to Have Enemies and Allies’. The quarrels are particularly heightened when a bloc is experiencing hardship or jeopardy. This consequently leads to the said group to exploit the other as a means to benefit themselves. He stated that “man is never contented nor self-sufficient.” A nation state is obliged to repress the other in order to reign supreme. Thus, if one suppresses the other, then it is anticipated for the citizens of the other nation state defend their nation. Hence, it is a battle of nationalism given that there is a conflict of interest between them. Adolf Hitler used nationalism as a means to empower emotions and create a fiery desire in all ethnic Aryans to form a unified state for all the Germen populace, indicating that nationalism is an excessive form of pride towards one’s country, its masses approving the abolition of another in order to profit their own.
Encapsulating my argument, nationalism has been a foundation of war and an immense source of motivation to persist. Hence, history will undoubtedly repeat itself; nationalism will lead to further hostilities where conflicts of interest arise between nation states. Nevertheless, it is the forces of nationalism through cultural similarity that allows nations to experience a sense of comfort with each other.Consequently, Nationalism in global politics is a double edged sword which ranges from friendly Olympic games to the catastrophic injustice caused and is flooded with sin; the strength of nationalism has never ceased to cause others grievances in addition to bending humanities moral integrity to the service of dissension and distress.
No comments:
Post a Comment