Topic: Rising Nationalism and Political Extremism
Country: United States
Delegate Name: Ethan Bonnell
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All United States position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
Nationalism as an ideology has generally been misunderstood throughout history. But fundamentally the concept is always the same; an ideology characterized by the eternal desires of national identity, self-governance, and self-determination. These desires led to the formation of the modern democracies of the United States, France, Germany, and countless other states, and were associated with many decolonization movements in the mid-20th century. And these ideas are fundamentally good and are indeed protected as rights of states in the UN Charter. But all too often in the present day these ideas are also associated with modern political extremism, from radical Islamic groups to white nationalist movements. While modern political extremism is a serious problem, it is important to clarify that this isn’t to be connected with the modern nationalist movements.
The United States, it can be said, has experienced a rise in nationalism in recent years. But this wasn’t from the result of a hostile takeover and doesn’t align with any hatred against any people, as is most often associated with hateful nationalist extremist groups. This nationalism stems not from hatred, but a recognition that the global position of the United States has been taken advantage of by free riding countries in both trade and security in the last few decades and this is not acceptable to the people of the United States. Indeed, many nationalist parties in powerful states have gained power because the people of those states have recognized that they have been forced by international organizations to make decisions and abide by rules that are not within the interest of that state. Political extremism is unfortunately also on the rise in the United States, as groups on both sides resort to more violent means of protest to push for the political causes they support. However, this is not a result of nationalism but of growing division, which cannot be characterized in the same way.
As the UN looks at the topic of modern political extremism it is important that it recalls that the rights of states, those fundamental rights of sovereignty, freedom of speech, the right to unhindered political participation and the right to self determination, are not to be infringed in any way by any resolutions or suggestions that this committee is to make. Furthermore, except for in the most extreme cases, it is not the place of the United Nations to interfere in any country without the express permission of that country. Instead, any resolution must be focused on spreading values of cultural tolerance and peace that often runs counter to the ideas spread by political extremists. The United States reaffirms the most recent United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy Review and recommends that this document be a starting point for any resolutions to be considered by the committee.
