Nationalism Destroys Europe - or Does It?

This is an automatic summary, original reduced by 74%.

In an age when it is so common for progressive, cosmopolitan intellectuals to insist on the near-pathological character of nationalism, its roots in fear and hatred of the Other, and its affinities with racism, it is useful to remind ourselves that nations inspire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love.

It is true that in a globalized, multifaceted world, Europe's survival will depend on integration and cooperation at a level that goes beyond the national level.

For it to succeed, European integration-of which more will be needed if Europeans want to retain stability and current levels of economic well-being-needs to learn a crucial trick from the nation.

In much the same way that the power of the nation made people look beyond the blood bonds of family and tribe and elevate solidarity to a higher level, so European integration needs to surpass citizens' attachment to the nation and raise it by one level.

This is why so much of classic federalist thinking, so much of the ideology of ever-closer union, and so much of the "Nationalism is evil" narrative sounds hollow and theoretical to the people of Europe and makes them feel suspicious about the EU. Instead of dismissing the nation as a thing of the past, Europe needs to learn from it and emulate its ability to create solidarity and the willingness to sacrifice.

Rather than focusing just on the abuses and limitations that nationalism can doubtless bring with it, Europe needs to learn the secret of how to lift a feeling of belonging to a higher level.

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