"Love your neighbor as yourself."

The First World War ended at 11 am GMT on November 11, 1918. One hundred years ago. It was supposed to be "the war to end all wars." It was not. The nations who fought it learned little, and squared off for round two only twenty years later. Since then, though we have seen brutal and obscene "small" wars in many places, it has been 73 years since the major industrial nations of the world have faced each other in war. 

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

One of the major causes of the First World War was rampant nationalism. "My nation, right or wrong." It's a strange phenomenon. Almost everyone thinks the place of their birth is the best place on the planet. Maybe each of us has a natural affinity, a deep connection with earth, and not just any old bit of sod, but "this" particular piece of earth. The ancient Celts believed that your birth place was also your place of resurrection. You may travel the world, but at journey's end must return to the place of resurrection. It is a deep psychological, at times visceral, pull. And that's fine. It is what it is.
Problems arise when that natural connectedness to earth morphs into "Our bounded land is better than your bounded land." National borders are arbitrary, unnatural, artificial, "made up." Rigid borders joined with claims to greatness, or supremacy, makes for an unstable world.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Such was the world before the First World War. German, British, French, Russian, Austrian, Belgian Greatness. To be great requires a continual show of strength, and in the world of realpolitik that requires a build up of armaments—a bigger army, a greater navy, a superior air force. Blustering. Belligerent. Bully pulpit. In time you have to demonstrate your greatness by a show of strength. Put the other down. Teach then a lesson, Show them who's boss. And so nations rally to the flag, to the leader,  and to glory.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Nationalism often does not stand alone. It is linked often to ethnicity in a form of "ethno-nationalism" as in the Hutus and the Tutsis, or to politics as in National Socialism, or to religion as in Serbian nationalism. It is often coded to race. To be "American" or "English" or "French" is to be white. Though nationalism unifies the "in" group, it is ultimately divisive and sets itself against the Other outside the border, and uses and abuses the stranger within the border.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

It is unsurprising that the political rhetoric of "Make America Great Again" is played out against a backdrop of increased hate crime, racism and violence against minorities. "All Jews must die," is the warped cry of the white nationalist as he murders 11 people in a synagogue. "You rape our women, you're taking over our country, you have to go," says the white nationalist who kills nine black worshippers in a Christian church. 

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Is there a better way? After World War Two, the victor nations took a different way. Those defeated nations were treated differently than after the first war, and gradually were rebuilt to become great industrial nations. De-colonization took place at a rapid rate. The self-determination of people's became a new reality. The United Nations lent hope for a more peaceful world. Seventy years on, we seem to have forgotten lessons then learned that nationalism does not make for a better world. In my 2017 book, The Fragility of Tolerant Pluralism, I make a case for a different way of thinking—that of tolerant pluralism as an antidote to nationalism.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

+Ab. Andy