I fear.

2/23/21 11:38 a.m.

Today’s world is becoming progressively interlinked, fuelling the flow of tangible and intangible resources (youmatter, 2020, para. 1). While there is still a place for patriotism, extreme patriotism — nationalism, in contrast, is not important in today's world. By viewing nationalism as an “ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests” (Kohn, 2020), this article discusses the expired importance of nationalism on the premise that it inhibits advancements towards global goals and fragmentises societies. 

Nationalism delays humankind’s advancements towards sustainable development goals that require global partnerships. Nationalism breeds parochialism, curating an impression that we should care only about local problems, forgetting the big picture. Nationalists prioritize their self-interests above the greater good. From the drowning of Aylan Kurdi (Smith, 2015) to US leaving the Paris agreement (McGrath, 2020), tackling global issues cannot wait, but not everyone thinks the same. Not Nationalists. Being an outspoken individual, I always use Instagram to raise awareness. With the rise of slacktivism during Covid-19 (Zamre, 2020), my social media feed was flooded with peers sharing social issues. Amidst the spotlight on the inequality faced by migrant workers, I discussed the issue of child labour and got dissed for raising it. “Shouldn’t you care more about what’s happening here?” (Leong, HL, personal communication, March 20, 2020)

Caring about global and local issues should not be mutually exclusive because “the whole world is our backyard” (Evans, 2016, 13:10). While education is able to change the narrative by encouraging students to see beyond our borders, its effectiveness relies on Professors, like yourself to spark and guide in-class discussions for students to see themselves as global citizens and their potential to be change-makers.

Moreover, Nationalism weakens our social fabric by stirring anti-immigrant sentiments. Nationalists adopt the "us-versus-them" narrative and view globalization as “a zero-sum game” (Gladding, 2018), creating a societal rift. Having personally encountered Singaporeans shunning away from migrant workers, this manifestation can be dated back to the 2008’s Not-In-My-Backyard syndrome (Ng, 2020) and the 2013’s Little India riots, highlighting how nationalism is widening the rift as the world continues experiencing “time-space compression” (Harvey, 1990).  

Globalization is unstoppable for countries like Singapore, therefore, viewing oneself as a national citizen before a global citizen is dangerous. Countries are drivers of global changes. But nationalism forces humankind to turn against themselves, losing its very importance in today’s globalized world.