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iProblems: Globalism vs Nationalism


It's hard to not to be involved in the political realm these days. Everywhere you go, everybody you talk to, every show you watch and even any meme you read has a political motive or meaning. This spreading trend is not just limited to Donald Trump's tweets or Brexit's conundrums. This notion is extremely widespread. All the way from Indian nationalism to Chinese political bans. From Russia's spying to Saudi Arabia's volatile kingdom. There seems to be no end to this political madness. It has gotten people questioning left and right about how are we even functioning. It's a good thing that Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un suddenly became lovers otherwise we would be having WW3 right about now. But, what can we do? This is the world we live in. So like they say if you can't beat them, join them. We are not going to join the politicians per say. But, instead we are going to try and navigate the world's politics from an individual's perspective. Two growing trends have dominated so far. But, the real question is which one will prevail? And what does that mean for our future?


Nationalism-


The first political trend you can point at right now is the growing Nationalism. What's most interesting about this trend is that it's not focused upon a particular region or a similar set of countries. There are some obvious countries in this list. Countries like China and Russia pride themselves as the top names. Then, we have some other western countries on this list, most of which are mainly European. There is Viktor Orban in Hungary and Matteo Salvini in Italy. The biggest country (and the most talked about) on the list is the United States. Donald Trump is seen as the spark to this nationalist flame. But, this trend isn't limited to just the west. India, the world's largest democracy is known to be showing nationalist flare. With Narendra Modi on the reins, India is also denying universalism (in a way) in order to "protect" its own cultures. The list of Nationalism definitely has bragging rights. It not only shows off the world's largest economy (USA) but, also the world's fastest growing economy (India) and the world's largest population (China). It's clear that this trend is establishing but, should we be worried?


Nationalism in itself is a complicated discussion. It is defined in the dictionary as a helpful "patriotic feeling or even as a destructive feeling of "superiority over other countries". The question of whether it is good or bad had the same indecisive answer. Therefore, it helps to look at a few cases. Nationalism in most western countries has played out on similar and quite familiar lines. The most commonly used issue is Immigration. People are being viewed has "aliens" who are going to infect the general population. Therefore, the popular talk of building walls in the US and even a literal wall built up in Hungary (Donald Trump is certainly jealous of the 155 km barrier that has been made recently). The nationalist notion of "us" being better than "them" has also played out its own scenario. The news blasts on about the Uighur Muslim camps in China and the Hindu superiority movements in India. This is the more ugly side of Nationalism. But, like everything it does have a side that has led to productivity and (dare I say) prosperity.


The NHS (national health service) in Britain, even through the lines and the waiting times, is a very good example of how nationalism can turn out to be great. The NHS was built because of the sense of British identity that knew no class, color or other divisions. It saw them all as British people that simply needed healthcare. The same nationalism that may divide in India, has also been used to bring it together. The Modi administration has used to get a lot done in his tenure including an impressive fiscal policy. Either way nationalism is not a new phenomenon but, it is catching up. Weather it is good or bad really just depends on what you see in it.


Globalism-


Globalism or internationalism like the name suggests is the exact opposite of nationalism. It calls for openness. Open borders, open minds and most importantly open hearts. This phenomenon is not new. In fact, it has been present among us way back since the 19th century. Back then people moved from one country to the other in large numbers and trade was rampant (though there were tariffs). Since then globalisation, with a few lows, was seen in a trend that just went up. The founding of the internet just seemed to boost and reaffirm that belief. Globalisation was seen as the future and in fact is still the goal of many people around the world. The few prominent champions of globalism around the world right now are Emmanuel Macron in France, Justin Trudeau in Canada and Angela Merkel in Germany. However, globalism has been falling out of favour, as made evident with the rise of it's so called opposite, Nationalism.


The three loudest voices on the globalism list seem to be getting weaker. Firstly the French President, Mr. Macron. Globalist around the world had high hopes from him. When he first came to the global political scene he was flying with high colors, going as far as to showing himself as a newer (definitely younger) face of globalism. However, it seems as if his wings have been clipped off. The biggest reason for this is growing problems at home. In order to lead a global movement one must have firm feet on the base however, France has only seen unrest. First it was the train workers and then the yellow vest protests. As if the anger from the powerful unions and the people wasn't enough, his bodyguard went ahead and beat up a protestor. Such an explanation isn't required for the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. Mrs. Merkel recently announced that she would be stepping down as head of her party, making way for a successor. There are three possible successors however, all of them are going to take the party more towards the right (each doing this by their own margin). The final failing is of Justin Trudeau. While his ambitions were great, it seems as if he fell short on execution. At least that's what many Canadians think. The Canadians never truly bought the Globalist agenda and as evident form recent polls, they are not liking where it is taking them.


Broken screens and broken systems-


But, why is it that Globalism is becoming so opposed? Globalisation has many supporters who have widely shared their views of why it's the best thing since sliced bread. Globalisation is the reason why your iPhone is cheap(er) than it could be. This is thanks to Made In China. However, this has also caused problems, mainly of which were highlighted by the US president, things such as the lost jobs. Globalisation does allows for better culture acceptance and respect. It is also known to open sharing of knowledge and technology to help developing countries. However, this didn't turn out that well for US companies who have accused China of intellectual property theft. No matter how many arguments are made, for or against, Globalisation is something that is essential. Without it we would all still be primitives trapped within our own four walls. No matter what the proponents of Nationalism say, there is no advancement of human race without connectivity. The problems we face today in Globalism, are the reason why Nationalism is so appealing to many people. By putting ME before WE, people think our problems will be solved. However, that is one dream that will forever remain as such because, the most pressing issues of today's age like climate change or misuse of AI need global cooperation. Globalisation needs a new model. We need to fix the problems we have and build a better platform. Think of it like an iPhone. Your screen is cracked and it's about time you get a new one. But, this time don't just make it in China. Make it together. We can't afford to crack it again.


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