Topic: Rising Nationalism and Political Extremism
Country: Pakistan
Delegate Name: Matthew Tomaszewski
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Pakistan position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
In the 1940s, the world experienced its most deadly conflict: World War II. Two root causes of the war were nationalism and political extremism. Not only through using citizens of the Jewish race as a scapegoat, but also through playing off of the marginalized sentiment of the German people after their treatment in the Treaty of Versailles, Adolf Hitler was able to instill dangerous nationalist ideals into the hearts of his citizens that allowed him to lead his inhumane conquest of Europe. In present day Europe, nationalism and political extremism are once again rising. Throughout Europe many nationalist political parties have taken office such as Austria’s Freedom Party which acquired 26% of Austria’s parliamentary seats and only narrowly lost their 2016 presidential election. One of the party’s fundamental campaigning issues is the influx of Middle Eastern immigrants to the region and their apparent threat to the Austrian cultural identity. In order to avoid recurring mass conflict and the unnecessary loss of human life, the United Nations must determine what causes rising nationalism and deduce possible ways to limit its negative effects.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has dealt with issues of nationalism and political extremism firsthand through the conflict in Afghanistan. For four decades, the Pakistani people have suffered, with over 27,000 citizens slain by terrorists and estimated economic losses of $120 billion. Prime Minister Imran Khan has chastised the United States for using Pakistan as a “scapegoat for its failure in Afghanistan.” Pakistan believes that United States’ violence has led to the growth of violence from the Taliban, specifically through their drone bombings in the northwestern region of Pakistan and throughout Afghanistan. The most effective way to limit the problem of an increasingly violent Taliban is to engage in peace talks with the militant group in order to peacefully reach a solution without unnecessary bloodshed. Prime Minister Khan has also stated, “Whenever [armed forces are sent] into civilian areas there are human right abuses.” Pakistan believes that a better solution to lowering the tension of rising extremism and nationalism is to not marginalize dangerous groups and suppress them, as it can often lead to empathy and more support for these factions. Rather, a better solution is to peacefully resolve the conflict through diplomatic means.
When combating rising nationalism and political extremism, it is essential to consider that marginalised groups often rise up and become violent. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan therefore recommends that resolutions addressing this issue are made in a way as to not marginalize nationalist and extremist factions due to the negative effect such actions have on pertaining situations. Furthermore, Pakistan recommends that the United Nations incentivizes both an end to the drone strikes in Pakistan and also peace talks with extremist militant groups in order to lower tensions with and the violence of these organizations.
