Arash Azizi
@arashtehran
Nationalism is the idea that when an ethno-national group lives in a certain area, it could form a government in its name. It does NOT necessarily mean that other people living there should be kicked out or disfranchised. In fact, the actually-existing forms of liberal and civic nationalisms made sure to be attentive to this 'problem of minorities' and afford them equal citizenship rights. For better or worse, our world today has been based on this idea and we all live in nation-states. To wish this wasn't the case, it's just like wishing we lived in a world without states, borders, money, jealousy, etc -- a utopian wish, not a political program.
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Arash Azizi
@arashtehran
If one does want a more equal world, the political program we COULD have looks something like this for 1) equal citizenship rights for all peoples in all states; 2) global justice (like NIEO) that would work against the Western neo-colonial dominance; 3) confederal forms that bring people together like the EU; 4) principles of good neighborliness between states and peoples
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Stuart
@olystuart
Nationalism to me is associated with war and a competitive mindset against other nations though. Maybe that's bias as an American because our nationalism is always used to rally people behind wars of aggression and attacks on other countries. There are examples of positive nationalism that's more focused on defense and improving the lives of the people in the nation, for example in China or Vietnam, I would say also Palestine and many Indigenous Nations. I don't think the US government and ruling class would never allow us to be that kind of positive nation building for a better world.
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