Ovi Magazine Issue #24: Nationalism - Published: 2013-01-31

Theme
A journalist by profession, a parliamentarian by
honour and faith. With long history in the Greek
political life since mid 1970s and member of
the Greek parliament for the last decade.
Greeks working in Germany alone in 2012
grew by 11%, taking apparently work from the
respectively German citizens and strengthening
the country’s xenophobia mainly based on job
loss.
The expressers of this fear are trying to put
under an ideological base on a different basis,
beyond the old dividing lines between left,
centre and right, but as the phobic feelings
transcend ideologies and parties. Besides, the
expressers of this new nationalism formed in
Europe, know that healthy nationalism as a
worldview rather than ideology and answers to
existential questions not based in ideologies such
as fascism, socialism or communism. Instead,
ideologies exploited nationalism to consolidate.
For the same reason the neo-nationalists today
seek to exploit the inability of the European
politicians to respond convincingly to the
existential questions that European
citizens asking regarding their future
in the union.
To converge the concepts of nationalism and
patriotism should there is respect to national
peculiarity, land and history of each nation so these
elements can become a foundation to activate the
forces of the people and a source to develop spiritual
values, and always not at the expense of others. If
i.e. patriotism is not degenerate into trading and
expel imperialistic nationalism syndromes and
despotic tendencies towards other people, there can
be some kind of convergence.
However and depending on the era, the
concept of nationalism takes different dimensions;
nationalism can give a liberating aspect to the
people (Greece 1821) or resistance to totalitarian
systems (Yugoslavia - Greece 1940).
The new nationalism which
is shaped in Europe does not
attempt, however, to answer the
question of securing the future of its
citizens with active policies but with
defensive actions stockade citizens in their
national shell while presenting simultaneously
their political activity as an expression of
patriotism.
There is, however, one key difference:
Patriotism can help bridge different views for
the sake of prosperity in the common homeland;
contrary to nationalism which cannot accept
compromises raising walls and divisions even
between citizens of the same country, the same
state, let alone among the European citizens.
33