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The Liberating Power of Nationalism

[Ha'aretz] Shlomo Avineri - Kosovo's declaration of independence marks a broader process: Nationalism is not disappearing. It continues to exist side by side with the trend toward creating broader political entities. The democratization of multinational societies does not lead different national and ethnic groups to want to live side by side. Instead, it heightens the will for self-determination, for a national home - however small - that the members of the national group can see as their own. Each national group thinks to itself: Why should I be a minority in your state when I could be a majority in my own? Size doesn't matter, but the consciousness of identity, belonging and every person's desire to live in a home of his own do. Nationalism can devolve into extremist, ugly and oppressive developments, but this is not inevitable. The possibility itself does not strip nationalism of its legitimacy. The past decades have shown that it is not nationalism that is the source of violent conflicts, ethnic cleansing, and oppression; rather, it is the attempt to impose a multinational framework on a place where there is no political will for it. The recognition of the liberating power of nationalism, which enables different national groups to express their identities, is in fact necessitated by the principles of nationalism and liberalism. The writer, professor of political science at the Hebrew University, is a former director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2008-02-22 01:00:00
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