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Entry: Nationalism is What We Need Now--The Case for an "Unpatriotic Conservatism" Link: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/nationalism_is_what_we_need_now_a_case_for_an_unpatriotic_conservatism#23422 Post contents: Again, I'm not redefining terms. I'm using terms in a manner that I would think would be acceptable to any fair-minded person: patriotism is love of one's country; nationalism is a desire for national self-determination and the expression of national identity. Is that unfair? I argue that both sentiments can be abused. I don't think national self-determination is inherently a positive principle; it seems to me, in the abstract, to be a matter of indifference, or perhaps a very low-ranking positive thing subordinate to higher considerations of justice, social order, and property rights. However, the desire for national self-determination seems to be very strong, especially in the modern world, and so I expect we will have to deal with it whether it is a positive thing, a negative thing, or an indifferent thing. In the present circumstances, a modicum of American nationalism would be a positive thing -- not because nationalism is inherently good but because it provides some insulation against temptations to global empire and multiculturalism. Sent at: 2008 05 16