Expansionist nationalism

Expansionist nationalism rejects the right of all nations to self-determination, usually linked to chauvinism.

Expansionist nationalism is opposed to all aspects of liberal nationalism. Most notably, expansionist nationalism rejects the right to national self-determination. Expansionist nationalism is also opposed to inclusion, diversity and social progress. Expansionist nationalism is characterised by the mindset of chauvinism and the language of jingoism. This belligerent stance towards others is at times employed by political leaders who identify the inherent advantages of creating and identifying a scapegoat.

Expansionist nationalism is clearly an extreme form of nationalism, and ultra-nationalism is a core element of fascist ideology. There are many fascist organisations throughout history that have utilised the language of expansionist nationalism to serve their own ends.

That said, in the contemporary era the influence of fascist organisations is relegated to the margins of the political process. The only comparable movement that carries any global significance is that of Islamo-fascism, a term coined by the French philosopher Michel Onfray shortly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Like other fascist movements throughout history; Islamo-fascism promises certainty in a world of uncertainty, a sense of unity with others and an appealing message to those who feel that their world-view is the one true path we must all follow. It has its scapegoats (Zionism and its Western allies), its slogans (‘remaining and expanding’), its moral and messianic rhetoric, its search for breathing space in the form of a caliphate and its treatment of women as second-class citizens; all backed up by its doctrinaire followers. Such observations could equally apply to those who supported or sympathised with the Nazis during the 1920s and 30s.