The three concepts I know will dominate the political arena in this country for the next few decades are terrorism, nationalism, and citizenship. Two of the three are discussed regularly on Capitol Hill, talk radio, and political television shows. Terrorism has been and will continue to be a hot topic for not only Americans but the international community as well. Citizenship is in the spotlight now as the idea of Immigration reform is debated in the U.S. Congress. The third and perhaps most important topic is also the least talked about, the idea of nationalism. These three topics will dominate political life well beyond my graduation years and perhaps into the graduation years of my grandchildren. One of my earliest political memories was the Iran hostage crisis from 1979-1981. Since that time there have been plane multiple hijackings, the bombing of a Marine Barracks in Beirut, Embassy bombings, suicide bombers, the first attack on the World Trade Centers, the Oklahoma City Bombing, The Atlanta Olympic Park Bombing, Chechen rebels taking over a Movie theatre, untold school shootings, and of course the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. The threat of terrorism is everywhere. From Ireland to Jerusalem, Baghdad, Russia, Japan, and the United States, acts of terrorism are seen as means to gain political power. As long as a determined minority believe they have no voice or their people face oppresion terrorism will be employed. How to handle terrorism is a problem almost every nation in the world is dealing with. As discussed on page 248 of the class text, since the end of World War II terrorism has been used more and more as an act of war. Nations are struggling to combat it because the actors are usually not state militaries bu... ... middle of paper ... ...ed to leave? This is the danger of not encouraging nationalism. Just because it happened somewhere else does not mean it cannot happen here. It the United States does not make an effort to “Americanize” all of its citizens either though a common language or a common set of core values the nation will eventually tear itself apart. By maintaining differences we maintain separation. That fosters mistrust and hate which can lead to violence and perhaps terrorism. This is the single biggest issue facing America today. As more and more people migrate here in search of the promise of America staying united will be our biggest challenge. We need to respect diversity but expect assimilation. Promoting nationalism is how we ensure our survival. America can remain the world’s greatest hope for freedom or it can become just another history lesson on why democracy failed again.
All over the world and in history, countries and nations have expressed pride towards their nations through spirit and have unified together as one. Nationalism is the force behind the unification, strength, and cooperation of these nations. First, nationalism is a powerful force that helps to unite all different people into a single nation. It is also important for nations to use nationalism to claim justified independence from one another. Finally, nationalism can be taken too far if it is used unjustly or incorrectly. Nationalism is important and necessary for beneficial political changes, but can become harmful and unproductive when used for a country’s personal agenda and lust for power.
In about ½ of a page (single-spaced), please state whether you agree, disagree, or have a mixed opinion regarding the following statement and argue, via evidence and claims from what you have learned in class, why you have picked your stated position. Be sure to comprehensively explain and support your reasoning.
Health care in America tends to be a gray area for citizens without prior experience with medical issues. Michael Moore an American filmmaker discusses in his documentary “Sicko” the unpleasant experience some Americans had to go through because of our health care system. Moore implements humor to his documentary by inserting comical music, images, and narration in spots that help his argument gain attention. He also travels abroad to places like Canada, France, and Cuba, where universal health care is supported. He does this in order to provide reason why universal health care is a good ideas by capturing the different emotions and opinions of individuals in those countries versus what people think in America. In addition, Moore provides evidence on why the United States should adopt a different health care system by providing facts like the life expectancy and cost of health care in America compared to other countries. Michael Moore’s main goal is to inform the audience as well as introduce his argument that our health care system is inadequate and that better solutions are out there like universal health care.
... can all tie in together yet still be their separate types at the same time. State, religious, and international terrorism are probably the three most common types of terrorism the world experiences. When you look at where they are conducted, a lot happens in developing countries, you can start to see the big picture. Terrorism is everywhere, though it may be labeled different things in different areas. But in the end, it is a group fighting for a belief that they feel is just and true, and they will fight by any means necessary to protect that belief from any perceived threat, real or not. History has shown us that terrorism has always been around, though it has been labeled many things. It has also shown us that it is an evolving tactic, which proves that those groups who feel threatened can and will use any means to protect or fight for what they believe.
Nationalism is a key concept that underlies many of the choices made and feelings shared throughout American history. Nationalism itself is the pride and patriotic feeling one feels for its country. Being a powerful nation that has expanded its reach to the whole world is no better basis for feeling proud for one’s country. The desire to feel this way was a major cause for the expansion during both of these eras, and also in modern times. Most citizens of their respective country has at least some desire to feel proud of the country in which they live. For places ridden with violence and poverty in the Middle East, it is more difficult to feel a sense of nationalism, and this is a contributing factor as to why there are so many refuges out of the Middle Eastern countries. Also, the positive economic effects, that would
Nationalism at its core is the support of a country. The goal of a country is to have some sort of resonance within the individuals that reside there that call themselves citizens. If the citizens don’t feel any connection with their country, they may move to find one that they feel closer too. Once found, they may support the country over others, defend it within conversations of politics or just find groups that have the same ideals they do about the country. This papers purpose is to illustrate the pros of nationalism as well as its cons.
...an, Chinese, or Puerto Rican all came here to have a new life. People of different races and cultures also share many of the same problems when living in the same boundaries. In today’s society it does not matter what you are because one problem can usually affect people even in if it is in a different way. To get anywhere in today’s society you must work hard. We still do not live in a world with one hundred percent tolerance, but I do believe that the original definition of nationalism has changed. I do agree with Lord Action when he says that nationalism caused repression of minority populations. But I also believe that Mazzini makes a good point when he says a nation is more than just having common ideas, principle, and a purpose. “The life of a nation consists of harmonious activity that is of ALL individual abilities comprised within the association.”(pg. 703)
Nationalism can also lead to the loss of cultural nations through the process of expansion and assimilation. Nationalism can also become very extreme, leading to ultranationalism and racism as responsibility and commitment to one’s own nation transforms to opinions of antagonism and hostility towards other nations that may be perceived to be a threat to your own. The events in the 20th century indicate that acts of nationalism have led to massive death tolls and loss of different cultural groups; and it is through these acts as evidence that the idea of nationalism should not be embraced and should be considered with care. As stated by Professor Vincent Barbarino, a balance between the positive and the negative aspects of nationalism must be found. However, if the present trend of events involving nationalism occurring in the world has indicated, this balance will be difficult to achieve and
A sadly powerful example of Nationalism sneaking into a country's political cycle in the present time would be the campaign and nomination of Donald J. Trump. Trump has made many Nationalistic statements and stands by highly Nationalistic policies, and yet he has a large group of supporters who simply don't care what his policies will do to other countries because “It'll make us great again.” Several of his policies would create trade wars that would starve millions of people who depend on the economy of the United States, and he has promised to kill the families of terrorists, who are practically slaves! As much as one might like to think that Trump is the problem, he isn't. Trump is the symptom; Nationalism is the
Immigrants leave their countries in search for a better life and improvement of their situation. There is no singular reason for immigration; motivations range from better economic prospects to political safety. As of late, the number of immigrants living in the United States is an estimated 11 million. Those who immigrate are expected to contribute to the United States culturally, politically, and economically. Yet, full assimilation becomes difficult to achieve when the immigrant is made into “the other” by the country of reception.
People left the homelands because the victims of religious intolerance. Immigrants have to start a new environment in America to avoid military. Some of people have legal identities, but most of are illegal because these immigrants are special groups which have burdened with more pressure than other immigrants. But these immigrants have same dream in America, wish get a good life and more freedom of expression.
The founding of a new government, by definition, does not merely mean the establishment of a governing structure; it denotes the building of nationhood. This sense of nationhood, with time, will invariably deepen into the passion citizens have for their nations. While extreme nationalism is destructive to both self and others, a moderate amount of nationalism is the foundation of our modern democracy. It unites citizen into political units, promotes participation in democratic processes, and stabilizes democracy by building trust. Governments are, thus, important because, to some extent, they help to promote democracy.
Nationalism is what justifies nations. Without nationalism there is no need to distinguish between two neighboring countries, no need to establish political unions, no need for xenophobia. Nations are the product of small groups banding together to form one larger “imagined community.” Thus it disrupts a said community when an outsider moves in and attempts to assimilate: this is the issue with immigration. No longer does the nation share a common history. The nation is now defined by a citizenship rather than a sense of culture. Civic nationhood is associated with the United States, but can be increasingly seen seen in modern Europe. Civic duty is a more becoming a more prevalent form of nationalism; the US developed it as part of American
During the 18th Century, France, Spain, and Britain continued fighting for dominance in Europe, while the new colonies in America became the first thirteen states established as a sovereign nation with the culmination of the American Revolution. With France controlling the largest portion of North America from Louisiana north to the Great Lakes, Spain firmly in Mexico and west of the Mississippi to the Pacific Coast, including Texas. In the late 1700’s, France ceded the Louisiana Territory to Spain, and their remaining northwest territory to Great Britain. The young nation of America had claimed the land from the North Atlantic Coast south to Georgia, and west to the Mississippi River. In 1795, while America’s growth continued, President Washington sent Thomas Pinckney to Spain negotiating a treaty, known as the Pinckney Treaty that would allow Americans use of the Mississippi River and storage of goods in New Orleans.. For several years, this remained a satisfactory arrangement until in 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte decided he would re-establish France once again in North America, sending his troops to take control of a potential revolt in Haiti (Saint Dominique), and re-acquired the Louisiana Territory from Spain. In 1802, France was controlling New Orleans, instructed Spain to cancel the 1795 treaty with the United States, thus cancelling the ‘right of deposit’.
Political violence is the leading cause of wars today. Personal agendas have led to many of the political objectives that cause violence today this has caused many problems throughout the world and will continue to do so until a solution to this issue is found. Political objectives have been advanced involuntarily dependent upon the kind of government a nation exercises. For instance, in a democratic nation political groups must worry about convincing the majority in order to advance ethically. Those who try to influence the majority through acts of violence are considered today as “terror” organizations. Though perhaps if it were not because of the recent 9/11 terror attacks that maybe such warrants would not be seen as terror attacks, but instead the result of partisan advancement. Acts of terrorism have been around throughout the evolution of mankind. Terror attacks have even been traced back as far as the religious roots of an ancient middle east (Ross, Will Terrorism End?, 2006). However as man evolved, so did terrorism. Today’s extremism involves some of the main characteristics of ancient terrorism, but much more developed. Political advancement is no longer the root cause of terrorism acts. Instead influxes of “holy” wars have been appended the prior definition of terrorism. Mistakably modern terrorism has been confused for Political violence with political objectives, but research will establish that the nature of terrorism is fundamentally different from other forms of political violence.