Are commitments to nationalism and global justice compatible?
Japan, under the newly re-elected leadership of Shinzo Abe, looks much like those regimes with its revanchist commitments to nationalism, re-militarization, and full-fledged economic stimulus.
Following the death of his mother when he was two, he was raised primarily by his grandparents, although his father's commitment to Indian nationalism influenced him during his childhood.
A senior member of his party was reported by WikiLeaks telling an American diplomat that the BJP's commitment to Hindu nationalism at this point was opportunistic, and that the Ram temple and so on "would always be a talking point" but nothing more.
The first is a renewed (if circumscribed) commitment to cosmopolitan nationalism by elements of South Africa's middle class and government elite: to respect the rights of all living in the country and South Africa's place in Africa and the world.
One big common factor is that since this "rebirth" often comes out of personal conviction, the level of commitment to religion and nationalism is quite strong.
But nationalism should (and more importantly) be commitment to building a nation from within - striving to be a society fostering equality, civility, lawfulness and human rights.
It marked a turning point in India's modern history, in that it left a permanent scar on Indo-British relations and was the prelude to Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi's full commitment to the cause of Indian nationalism and independence from Britain.
This, not nationalism, is what a true patriotism is about – commitment to "another country" where all have a place, not just those with the power.
But he was also a die-hard imperialist, whose commitment to the "special relationship" sat alongside a rather less democratic aversion to anti-colonial nationalism.
