The Scourge of Nationalism

Why do people talk of the rise of "Nationalism"? It intrigues me. I suspect that sometimes nationalist sentiments grow when people in one country instinctively are a bit disgusted by things being done in another country, but don't want to name the beast because similar problems are happening in their own back yard.

I sincerely hope that either Western civilization can provide a better example for developing countries to emulate (i.e. the hospitals and schools without the over-consumption, wastefulness, automobile culture and obesity), or that developing countries and the BRICs can be a bit more discerning about what segments of Western economies they choose import.

Thwarting bad elements in a society, whether it is organized crime, drugs, police corruption or "just" commercial interests wishing to exploit an economic externality at the cost of society as a whole, is I suspect a lot like fighting dental plaque: you can brush, and floss and gargle mouthwash, but as sure as the sun will rise, you will have a whole ecosystem of bacteria right back there on your teeth by next morning, all doing their bit to bring down your teeth all over again. I suspect you thwart it in the same way also - by keeping up the fight. And just like you can't get nice teeth back after plaque has had its way, once the culture of the automobile has wreaked its havoc on a country, you will never get your rolling countryside and farmland back from the sprawl either.