Thousands rally in Germany against nationalism before European vote - Photo: AFP/TTXVN

1. Identifying new expression of nationalism

“New expression” is understood as new problems which arise; or long-standing, not new, problems, which re-emerge, containing new elements in the process of development. From such a perspective, the new expression of nationalism today can be identified in the following basic features:

First, the issue of class ideology is down to a secondary level, while nationalism emerges in modern social life.

During the Cold War period, when the world was divided into two systems - socialism and capitalism, the issue of class ideology was always at the forefront in solving internal problems of each bloc as well as in the relationship between the two systems.

In that context, the class struggle of the working class against the oppression and exploitation of the bourgeoisie, against capitalism for the sake of socialism, as well as the struggle of the colonial and dependencies are directed, oriented and closely linked together by the ideology of the working class, illuminated by the Marxist - Leninist ideology towards the goal of national independence and socialism. More specifically, in this period, the settlement of class-nation relations on the stance of Marxism-Leninism, according to Marxist ideology, was considered a matter of principle and was valuable for regulating social relations, including class-nation relations within the member countries of the socialist system.

In fact, the harmonious settlement of this relationship became a key factor to connect nations in support of and helping each other for a common ideal, which is to ensure national sovereignty and successfully build socialism in each country as well as on a global scale.

However, in the process of building socialism in some countries, the violations of the Marxist stance in dealing with the relationship between class-nation issues and between socialism and nationalism led to internal rifts and contradictions, which even became one of the causes of the breakdown of the socialist system, and simultaneously caused socialist internationalism to fall into recession and severe crisis.

Since the dissolution of the socialist system following the Soviet model, class ideology and the settlement of class-nation relations within the bloc have also undergone many changes. The interests of classes, socialism, and the international communist and workers’ movements have been overlooked in many places, while nationalist consciousness and extreme nationalism tend to rise. Even within the remaining socialist countries, there are still actions that interfere with each other’s sovereignty, affecting the national interests of each country and seriously hit the international solidarity of the working class. Typically, China has defied international law, and established military bases on natural and artificial islands, and unreasonably declared the “nine-dash line” in the East Sea. These actions have disregarded international interests, harming the interests of other nations, including those of nations sharing the same ideology, thereby adversely affecting the internationalism of the working class.

Since the end of the Cold War, ideological issues seem to have been eliminated, no longer being a barrier separating nations and peoples. In the 2017 National Security Strategy, the US once stated: “It is a strategy of principled realism that is guided by outcomes, not ideology”⁽¹⁾. In the new context, most countries actively cooperate, develop and expand their foreign relations on the basis of national interests as a priority. This is a favorable factor, but at the same time, it is a new challenge that requires each country to be alert and wise to be able to harmoniously deal with this relationship so that it can maintain stability, especially political stability, to take advantage of support and cooperation for mutual development while remaining steadfast in the nation’s goals, ideology, and independent path.

However, it is necessary to realize that, hidden inside these new expressions, the problem of class ideology still exists and is being masked by national interests. In fact, the US and capitalist countries are still looking for their own interests when implementing national interests and with the same nature, in many cases, capitalism still intervenes, causing serious harm to the poor countries and the rest of the socialist countries. Intervention and continuous opposition with many sophisticated and blatant forms of the US government and Western countries towards states that do not share the same ideology continues to take place.

Second, nationalism has a great influence on international relations.

From 1991 up to now, many international issues and international relations have been dominated by national issues and nationalism. It manifests itself in the following points:

Currently, promoting national interests to the extreme, disregarding international interests, even in defiance of international law is a common phenomenon. In modern political life, it is a new fact that the ruling class in some countries is dominated by narrow-minded nationalism, exaggerating “national spirit”, thereby giving rise to extreme nationalism, great powerism, pragmatism, etc and they are increasingly dominating international relations. Large countries seek to impose, even infringe upon the national sovereignty of small countries, regardless of international law. For example, from 2010 till now, the intervention of the US and some Western countries in Arab countries, especially Syria, has made these countries fall into chaos with constant war and national disintegration, the insurgency of radical Islamist groups have had devastating consequences in the region.

In the current new context, nationalism is increasingly being expanded and taken on new nuances. For example, the US under President Donald Trump with the policy of “America First”, “Make America Great Again”; or China with the “Chinese Dream” and blatant violations of international law to gain advantages in the East Sea... are proofs that the intention of major countries is heavily influenced by powerful nationalism and extreme nationalism.

The pursuit of protectionism, xenophobia, anti-immigration... in the face of globalization is also new forms of nationalism in the current context. Those are acts of pragmatism, promoting national interests with self-interest and selfishness. In international relations, some countries only focus on achieving the interests of their own nation, while being ready to harm the legitimate interests of other countries, and avoiding international obligations and other global issues. The US administration under President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from a number of international organizations and treaties such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ), UNESCO, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Paris Agreement on climate change... are examples of this issue. The current xenophobic movement that is taking place in many countries of the European Union and in the UK also has also resulted from nationalism.

Third, nationalism is activated in all areas of social life.

In globalization and international integration, many values have been changed, in which nationalism thrives in many fields. Its expressions can be considered in some of the following basic areas:

In terms of economy: Modern science and technology, globalization and international integration are objectively inevitable, promoting economic cooperation for development, and at the same time, creating opportunities and conditions for developing and underdeveloped countries to make use of investment and aid sources from developed countries, or achievements of modern science and technology, the knowledge economy, the Industrial Revolution 4.0, digitalization, information technology, etc to promote the development of productive forces, gradually overcoming their backwardness and underdevelopment. Globalization is also a factor that arouses national pride, creating a driving force to promote the determination to continue integration and take advantage of globalization to escape the state of poverty. In other words, it is the driving force for genuine nationalism, arousing patriotism, national spirit, and determination to make full use of opportunities, to overcome challenges to get out of poverty, while successfully implementing integration and development.

Besides the positive aspects, globalization and international integration also have negative effects. It does not divide benefits and opportunities equally for countries, regions, communities of people and ethnicities. In this process, some ethnic groups, population groups, or social classes are left behind, or marginalized. In some countries, when economic interests are threatened, there is fierce competition with economic groups, immigrant groups or countries that tend to resist globalization. Since then, many countries have made protectionist decisions, first of all, to protect their economic interests. Nationalism in this case resolutely opposes globalization when the economic interests of the nation-state are violated. Nationalism is even ready to trample on the interests of other nationalities.

The reality of global economic life in the current new context shows that all actors in the globalization process derive from nationalism in the economic field, regardless of whether it is a poor or rich, developing or developed country. For example, when the global financial crisis of 2008 led to the economic downturn of the UK, the British National Party (BNP) announced that it would enact nationalist economic policy if they got the power. In many countries in the European Union and the United States, globalization has caused some economic sectors to shift to developing countries, while in the opposite direction, the flow of immigrants is also threatened in terms of jobs and interests of these countries. Therefore, narrow-minded nationalism, anti-immigration, etc have emerged. The fierce trade war between the US and China is due to the heightened economic nationalism.

In terms of politics: When the Cold War ended, the security of countries became more unstable, and difficult to control, thus creating a good ground for populist and xenophobic nationalism. Globalization and integration have weakened the role of nation-states, narrowing the power, scope, and effectiveness of their impact; The crisis of socialist realism in the Soviet model was the driving factor behind the disintegration of the federal states to form independent states associated with a few ethnic and religious communities (for example, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, or the Yugoslav Federation), or the formation of independent regions to replace the unified nation-states according to the old model; or issues of armed conflict, international terrorism, or nuclear issues that make the security of countries increasingly unstable, and difficult to control, which is also a favorable condition for the emergence of radical nationalist ideology. In addition, there is a tendency to form a new power system following the transnational model (typically the establishment of the EU)⁽²⁾ to protect the interests of nations and peoples within the bloc such as to cooperate and solve global issues, for example, global finance, environment, climate change, sea-level rise, epidemics...

In terms of culture and society: As an inevitable rule, the development of modern science and technology, especially the advancement of information technology, networking and economic globalization has led to cultural globalization, whereby national cultural identity is strongly attacked and is in danger of being lost or even disappearing. On the other hand, in globalization and international integration, especially due to the impact of conflicts, military violence, and terrorist attacks, fierce events take place in many countries in the region, for example in the Arab countries, the Middle East, etc causing the increasing flows of refugees and migrants hoping to find the “promised land”, creating disturbances in ethnics and religious compositions, and the territory of residence.

In many countries, this movement makes indigenous people afraid when their interests and lives are threatened or disturbed, thereby, leading to cultural, ethnic, and religious conflicts. Since then, xenophobic nationalism has risen in many countries and regions, even, it is one of the causes leading to deep contradictions in the European Union, forcing them to find a way to share responsibility in addressing this situation.

When receiving refugees, besides the shared economic benefits, a great concern of European countries, especially Eastern European ones, is that cultural conflicts will also arise. It is because most of the refugees are Muslims from Syria and Africa, while the people and governments of European countries are still not ready to accept such a large Muslim community in their society. The Brexit movement in the UK has called for the protection of traditional British national identity, rejecting the flow of immigrants from countries, including countries of EU, and opposing the policy related to misallocation of benefits. This movement even inspired secessionism in many regions and countries around the world. The New York Times reported that Brexit has inspired supporters of Texas to separate from the US⁽³⁾. From there, it shows that, whether it is a large or small country, in its development strategy, national interests are always prioritized, meaning that the interests of the alliance and the region are always secondary. This is also the dominant trend in today’s contemporary world.

2. Viewpoints of the Communist Party of Vietnam on the impact of nationalism

In the context of the strong rise of nationalism, Vietnam is inevitably affected and influenced. To promote the positive side and limit the negative impact of nationalism, it is necessary to thoroughly grasp the following basic views of the Party:

First, to bring into play the strength of the great national unity bloc, creating a driving force to build a prosperous and happy nation and defend the Fatherland.

Great national unity is a fine tradition, a strategic line of the revolution, and a powerful source of strength for the Vietnamese people in the process of national construction and defense. In the new context, Vietnam needs to arouse national consciousness and genuine nationalism, focusing on patriotism and national pride to create a great motivation to protect the country and develop a prosperous and happy nation.

To continue promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc, it is necessary to implement the motto: Comprehensive leadership of the Party; The State serves, creates conditions for development; People of all ethnic groups are the masters, unite, and agree to strive for “a peaceful, independent, united Vietnam with territorial integrity”, “prosperous people, strong country, and democratic, equitable, civilized society”.

The Party’s comprehensive leadership aims to ensure the goal and path of national independence associated with socialism through the right political guideline in order to arouse national spirit, patriotism, and genuine nationalism of Vietnamese people; on the other hand, resolutely fight against all manifestations of extreme nationalism within the country as well as the plots and tricks of external hostile forces that harm the interests of the country and nation. Under the leadership of the Party and State, with the role of serving and creating conditions for development, it is necessary to build an appropriate and scientific mechanism and system of policies and laws, especially the right national policy to create a favorable environment and conditions to solve problems in the community and serve the people most effectively. All viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State must stem from the interests of the people, while paying practical attention to the people’s lives, ensuring equality, solidarity and respect for all ethnic groups, assisting each other to develop, and all classes of people to equally enjoy the achievements of the national renovation. In turn, the people of all ethnic groups under the Party’s leadership, the State’s management and service, must strongly promote their roles as masters to unite and build a prosperous and happy nation.

Second, to combine national strength with that of the times, proactively and actively engage in comprehensive and extensive global integration; Vietnam is a friend, a trusted partner and an active and responsible member of the international community⁽⁴⁾.

Today, Vietnam is entering a new stage of development with the aspiration for a prosperous country, a high position in the international community. To achieve that goal in the context of rising nationalism in the world, the consistent view of the Communist Party of Vietnam is to combine national strength with that of the times, proactively and actively engage in comprehensive and extensive integration in the spirit of “Implement consistently the foreign policy line of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development; the foreign policy of openness and diversification and multilateralization of international relations. Guarantee the highest interests of the nation on the basis of fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, equality, cooperation and mutual benefit”⁽⁵⁾.

Thoroughly grasping this point of view to develop appropriate and timely development guidelines and strategies, in which, focusing on foreign policy in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, promoting internal resources, combined with external resources to develop and enhance the country’s international position and prestige. Well handle the relationship between independence, self-reliance, comprehensive and extensive international integration, and flexible for the sake of the country - nation, and at the same time improvise promptly and effectively to rapid changes, unpredictable situations in the world and in the region, as well as in the face of negative impacts of extreme nationalism, great powerism, trade protectionism, etc which are emerging strongly, thereby effectively serving the cause of national construction and defense.

Third, to actively, resolutely and persistently fight against all expressions of extreme nationalism to firmly protect national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

With the characteristics of a multi-ethnic country, internal and external hostile and reactionary forces often find ways to arouse extreme nationalism to incite separatism and division of the great unity of the entire nation, distorting the guidelines and directions of the Vietnamese revolution. They aggressively take advantage of issues on ethnicity, religion, human rights, and democracy with all subtle and cunning forms to destabilize politics, social order, safety, national defense and security in ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, border areas and islands. Therefore, it is necessary to actively fight against peaceful developments and riots; resolutely fight against and strictly handle those who take advantage of ethnic issues, as well as other issues to oppose the Party, State, the socialist regime or deliberately divide and sabotage the great unity bloc of the whole nation. Strengthen international cooperation in defense and security, well perform Vietnam’s responsibilities in participating in UN peacekeeping activities; at the same time, resolutely and persistently continue the struggle, including the legal struggle, to firmly protect Vietnam’s sovereignty over seas and islands, our legitimate interests in the East Sea as well as in the international arena, thereby promoting the effective results in the country and national interests and adapting to the changes of the new situation to ensure national security and protect national sovereignty, creating a position and momentum for the development of a prosperous and happy nation.

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Received: 31-12-2021; Revised: 19-1-2022; Accepted for publication: 22-2-2022.

Endnotes:

(1) See: Highlights of the new US National Security Strategy, http://tapchiqptd.vn.

(2) Prof., Dr. Đỗ Quang Hưng: Ethnic minorities and religions, in the book “Some new issues in ethnic relations and policy in our country today”, Dr. Phan Văn Hùng Chief Editor, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2015, pp.230-231.

(3) Brexit inspired the Texit movement to separate Texas from the US, https://congly.vn.

(4), (5) CPV: Documents of the 13th National Congress, Vol. I, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, pp.162, 161-162.

Assoc Prof, Dr. BUI THI NGOC LAN

Institute of Scientific Socialism,

Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics