The recent success of French nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen over
Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and the recent waves of anti-Semitic violence in France are worrisome indicators of a new wave of European nationalist sentiment. Not since the 1940s have nationalist and xenophobic feelings run so high in western European countries, and it may be that time has dulled memories of the horrors those feelings helped produce in the first half of the twentieth century.
The last thing the world needs in the 21st century is a repeat of the unprecedented carnage and warfare created by the uprising of nationalist sentiment that led to the two world wars. In many ways, the beginnings of these two centuries are beginning to show disturbing similarities.
In the waning decades of the 19th century, as in the last few decades of the 20th, unprecedented globalization fueled by rapidly advancing technology had opened up entire new areas of the world to trade and industrialization.
Commerce across national boundaries was at an unprecedented height and the economies of scale made possible by buying products from outside of Europe and the United States was bringing about a higher quality of life than had ever before been possible.
But there were other factors playing a role as well. The unification of the German Empire under Bismarck was among the first movements toward a true feeling of Nationalism.
After World War I, the free passage across borders that had allowed for rapid economic growth before the war was cut off; borders were fortified and nations looked suspiciously on foreigners.
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Following the devastation of the second World War and with the onset of the Cold War against the communist powers of the East, Western Europe made a collaborative effort to seek total alliance and understanding so as to avoid future nationalistic wars.
It was through that resolve for peace that the European Union was born. Today it continues to grow stronger, and the newly independent nations of Eastern Europe are clamoring to get in. One of the hallmarks of the European Union's success is the elimination of borders within Europe for purpose of free trade.
The reaction of nationalists like Le Pen - who wants to withdraw France from the E.U. entirely and focus on strengthening France as an independent country - shows that the nationalistic fervor is still alive. The fact that he has gained enough support in France to beat out Jospin is an indication that this movement is growing.
It's not time to panic yet; World War III is not just around the corner, and of course it is impossible to predict the future with any degree of accuracy in these constantly unpredictable times. Nevertheless, as the E.U. continues to expand, and as free trade zones worldwide begin to loosen trade barriers, the backlash should be monitored very carefully.
Already, key issues related to economic globalization are becoming rallying points for discontent. The loss of manufacturing jobs to cheaper labor markets in Asia is a growing point of contention in the United States and European Union. Concern over the environment is another hot issue, as is the quest for "global justice."
As the economic benefits of globalization draw the world closer together in the coming decades, these opponents of free trade and open borders will grow more numerous and more prominent in the world scene. The odds are low that Jean-Marie Le Pen will win this election; he's behind Chirac 80 percent to 20 percent. But his 20 percent is a lot more than would have supported his ideas in the past.
Sometime in the 21st century, sooner or later, the issue of globalization versus nationalization will have to be faced. If globalization wins out, then massive wars will be avoided by the economic integration of the world's diverse economies. If we revert to a chaotic jumble of fiercely independent nation-states, then who knows what the future might hold?
by Craig A. Butler
Daily Lobo Columnist