The Rise of Nationalism

In Germany recently a far right German National Party won 21% of the vote in a local election. In Italy the right wing government is battling charges of racism. In France the ultra-nationalistic Front National won 17% of the national vote in 2002. In Britain the British National Party gained more votes in the 2003 elections than it had since the seventies. In Austria the extreme right Freedom Party has formed a coalition with the ruling party. In the US there are more than 500 extremist groups primarily associated with xenophobic ideologies many who openly endorse Republican candidates for government.

The UN recently concluded: “The current realities of racism, ethnocentrism, xenophobia and related intolerance should be acknowledged as major threats to peace, security and human development”.

Not that American’s care much for global perceptions but I have to wonder what the rest of the world makes of our support for the “right”. By voting for candidates that run on bigoted platforms it appears the US is embracing the nationalism infecting Europe. Not to be confused with patriotism or Nazism; of course.