Staff Reporter
Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution (IICR) organized a One-day International Conference titled “Growing Ultra-nationalism in Contemporary World” on Thursday. The panelists included eminent speakers from various parts of the world.
Dr. Salma Malik, Assistant Professor Defense and Strategic Studies QAU, Islamabad moderated the session whereas other speakers included Prof. Dr. Nazir Hussain, Dean Social Sciences QAU, Prof. Dr. Hamit Erosy, Professor, Istanbul Zaim University, Turkey, Mr. Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director South Asia Program, Wilson Centre, Washington, USA and Dr. Waleed Rasool, Director Genaral at Institute of Multi-Track Dilougue, Development and Diplomatic Studies.
While commenting Dr. Nazir Hussain said that over the decade there has been a rise in Ultra-nationalism which has swept across many parts of the world including United States. Moreover, authoritarian civil rules in the United States, France, Spain, Russia, Turkey, China, and India manifested their brands of ultra-nationalist tendencies. Adding further he said that Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ European ‘protectionism’ ‘Brexit’ and Indian ‘Hindutva’ has created insecurities and uncertainties among the minorities in the majoritarian rules. However, Globalization, Trans-national cooperation and peaceful coexistence were the major causalities of this rise.
While expressing his views Prof. Dr. Hamit Esroy’s discussion encompassed the interaction between the ultra-nationalism’s ideology, political movements, globalization and the implications of the first on the latter. He also touched upon the emergence of ultra-nationalism, its root causes and how it has become a threat for the nation states with the collapse of bipolar system at the end of the cold war. While reflecting on the future he recommended that Muslim countries should draw consensus and invent their own concepts to read the global politics. Moreover, he also said that leaders of the Muslim world should realize that nationalistic polices would lead to more division among them.
