Topic: Rising Nationalism and Political Extremism
Country: France
Delegate Name: Mitchell Kovacic
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All France position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
For years now we have seen a rise in nationalism, while it may have not been as popular back in the 18th century it was still a relevant political stance that some people practiced. Nationalism, like all political stances, has those that oppose it and those that embrace it. Today we can see a rise in nationalism like never before. Nationalism is the strong belief in one’s country, Nationalism has taken a rise, especially with the rise of national issues such as immigration. We can see members of certain countries showing nationalism to their nation. Nationalism is a very broad belief, some are extremely radical while others are just showing patriotism. Napoleon Bonaparte, a well known French military leader, was a huge supporter of nationalism. Napoleon used the excuse of the French Revolution to bring his country together as one and to fight alongside him. Nationalism was used by Napoleon to get his country to spread the idea of French Revolution across Europe. We see nationalism happening not only hundreds of years ago, but also today. After the September 11th Islamic Terrorist attack against the United States many american's showed nationalism toward their country. Ready to fire back against those extremist the very next day. Even the Islamic Terrorist are nationalist. They show large amounts of support for their belief in their religion. While Islam may have been against al-Qaeda, the Islamic Terrorist group still showed much nationalism toward their own group, to the point where they would even kill themselves to make a point/statement. Nationalism is not something you can eradicate, nationalism is a feeling of pride one feels toward their nation. And trust me, you nip any nation in the butt they will bite right back. Nationalism can be blamed on national leaders of the present or of the past. Nationalism can also be blamed on events in the present or past. But the truth is that it’s not the leaders nor the events faults, those events just give a nation's followers the little push they need to show their patriotism. Political extremism however is a different subject. While political extremism can be branched off of nationalism, it is not directly related. One can be politically extreme yet still show hatred toward their nation. For example, al-Qaeda (An Islamic Terrorist group) is not exactly on great terms with their nation, yet they are extreme when it comes to their political/religious stance. We can see many examples of those that are politically extreme, yet show no patriotism towards their nation whatsoever. Democratic Liberals in the United States have been known to constantly whine about their country they live in, even threatening to leave. But they still will say they are a democratic liberal because they are proud of their political stance. Both nationalism and political extremism can be very dangerous. But just like a gun, it is only dangerous if the person practicing these values are dumb and is willing to do something drastic. If it’s someone from al-Qaeda it will end drastically, but if it’s just an average citizen of a nation showing patriotism and where they stand politically then it’s harmless.
