What could be a be a more fitting occasion to denounce the rise of nationalism than a commemoration event to mark the centenary of the end of the First Word War? French President Emmanuel Macron took full advantage of such an opportunity while standing in front of the grand war memorial in Paris on Remembrance Day and delivering a powerful and timely admonition against the rise of nationalism on both sides of the Atlantic. Doing this in front of more than 60 world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a speech that was broadcast live around the world, was his war cry to stop the bandwagon of nationalism before it is too late.
The current French presidency thus far is a tale of (almost) two different Macrons embodied in one person. There is the Macron who seems to be at his wit's end when it comes to domestic French politics: He has lost key figures in his government who have resigned, stating their inability to work with him and questioning his leadership and policies, and he consequently has a very low approval rating among the French public. On the international stage, on the other hand, he thrives on being somewhat of a Lone Ranger or Don Quixote of global politics, fighting the rising tide of chauvinist nationalism, xenophobia, racism and widespread international bigotry.
At a time when the European Union itself is struggling to maintain it core liberal values, when the UK is about to quit the EU and the power of his main ally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is in free fall, he still has the steely belief and arrogant confidence that he can fend off the dark forces of nationalism that are hell-bent on destroying the values of the world order that attempted to bury those dark forces for good after the Second World War.
To be sure, to anyone who has lived through or studied the 20th century, it defies logic not to fear nationalism in the same way one fears an uncontrollable and devastating fire. The millions upon millions of graves in Europe’s war cemeteries are a constant reminder of the destruction of large parts of the world, especially Europe, brought about by two world wars. Being still within living memory, the horrific experience of the last century should have been an ever-present warning of what nationalism, especially in its most extreme interpretation, can do to humanity.
In the first half of the 20th century, it exposed the darkest and nastiest aspect of some human beings, both as individuals and especially as groups, who found the need to define themselves by what separates them from other ethnic and religious groups, and, worse, hating those others to death. Is there anyone in their right state of mind who would prefer to return to anything resembling what happened between 1914 and 1945, instead of the relative tranquillity and prosperity of the post-war years? But some leaders and countries, for selfish and shortsighted reasons, indeed seem keen to take this route, and unless this trend is stopped in its tracks, the world may well face another period of nationalist-led conflict and bloodshed.
On the international stage, Macron thrives on being somewhat of a Lone Ranger or Don Quixote of global politics, fighting the rising tide of chauvinist nationalism, xenophobia, racism and widespread international bigotry.
Yossi Mekelberg
In this context, Macron sees himself as the vanguard of efforts to prevent this creeping disaster, in the same way as Mary Mapes Dodge’s “Hero of Harlem,” the unnamed Dutch boy who saved his city from being flooded by jamming his finger into a leaking dike until it was fixed. Needless to say, it will take way longer than one night to contain this threat of a flood of nationalism spreading fear, distrust and hatred of the other, but the cause needs champions and there are few volunteers around stepping forward to stand beside the French president.
His distinction between nationalism and patriotism is interesting and needs much nuanced interpretation. In last Sunday’s speech, he portrayed nationalism as the “betrayal of patriotism” and called on his audience to reject the “selfishness of nations only looking after their own interests. Because patriotism is exactly the opposite of nationalism.” The Oxford Dictionary defines patriotism as: “The quality of being patriotic; devotion to and vigorous support for one's country,” and nationalism as: “Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”
It is this distinction that Macron was trying to make by claiming that devotion to, love for, and support of your country is not a zero-sum game coming at the expense of the ability to cooperate and coexist with other countries and peoples. In the modern global world, the opposite is true: Countries working together and cooperating have a better chance to advance their own security and prosperity, while ensuring the system’s long-term stability.
Macron set out his global vision in his speech to the UN General Assembly two months ago. In the spirit of the post-1945 generation of the likes of Robert Schuman and Jean Monet, who were the oracles of what was to become the European Union, their heir apparent reminded the biggest gathering of world leaders of the huge task they all have to save the world from the “scourge of war.”
Unlike the current tide of nationalism, his answer to the question of how to advance the human cause is that the project must be “based on what brings us together as humanity and not on what is separating us.” His concern, one might say fear, is that a world order based on “law and on keeping promises, of helping humanity move forward towards economic, social and moral progress, with freedom that is increasingly guaranteed,” is slipping through our fingers. He looks around, within the European Union and beyond, and he witnesses how country after country is falling into the hands of nationalists who have a complete disregard for universal human rights and whose outlook is deeply racist and misogynist. In most cases, such as Hungary, Italy, Brazil and the United States, these leaders have come to power by way of a democratic system whose values they don’t necessarily respect, and thus no one can guarantee whether democracy will survive their time in office.
Despite all the criticism he attracts, especially at home, President Macron deserves much credit. All liberal and progressive forces should rally round him and support his efforts to fend off a nationalist tide that is threatening to overwhelm us all.
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Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg
