Why Nationalism Is Not the Problem Politicians Say It Is
January 11, 2026 · Frisian News
Political elites blame nationalism for social division, but ordinary people defending their own countries and communities are not the real threat. The real danger lies in unaccountable supranational bodies that override local interests.
Last week a Swedish mayor faced calls to resign for saying his town should remain Swedish. Brussels bureaucrats speak of this as dangerous populism. Yet the mayor simply stated what most citizens believe: a place has the right to keep its character and make decisions about who lives there. This is not extremism. This is ordinary people wanting a say in their own lives, something that transcends left and right politics.
Elites frame nationalism as the root of all conflict. They claim that borders cause wars, that national pride breeds contempt for foreigners, that local control leads to tyranny. But history shows the opposite danger more often. Unaccountable international bodies, removed from ordinary voters, cause more harm than nations protecting themselves. The EU has forced member states into ruinous monetary union, flooded labor markets without consent, and overrode local courts on matters that affected real people's lives.
The word nationalism gets weaponized to mean ethnic hatred or fascism. But loving your own country, trusting your own people, and wanting to solve your own problems is not the same thing. A parent who cares most about their own children is not hateful to other families. A town that wants to stay a town, rather than become a suburb of a megacity, commits no crime against humanity. These are healthy instincts that built functioning societies for centuries.
Politicians and journalists who dismiss nationalism refuse to see what it really is: ordinary people reasserting control over their own affairs. When Brussels ignores voters, when Washington tells small countries what to do, when banks and tech companies set rules without democratic input, people turn to leaders who promise to listen. Call that populism or nationalism if you like. But pretending the problem is people wanting a voice in their own governance is dishonest.
The real divide is not nationalism versus internationalism. It is power flowing upward, away from communities, toward distant capitals and corporate headquarters. Nations and towns do not threaten peace. Bureaucracies that ignore their voters do. Until elites accept this simple fact, they will keep losing elections to people who do.
Foarige wike krige in Sweedsk boargemaster roppen om ôf te tredjen om't hy sei dat syn stêd Sweedsk bliuwe moat. Bruxsel-amptners neame dit gefaarlik populisme. Mar de boargemaster stelde gewoan wat de measte burgersje leauwe: in stee hat it rjocht syn karakter te hâlden en decisions te nimmen oer wa dêr wenje. Dit is net extremisme. Dit binne normale minsken dy't in si hawwe yn har eigen libben.
Elites stelle nationalisme foar as de woartel fan alle konflikt. Se beweare dat grinzen oarlogen feroarsaakje, dat nasjonale stoltheit ferachtting foar bûtenlânders foedet, dat lokale kontrole ta tiranny liidt. Mar de skiednis toant it tsjinoerstelde gefaar faker. Net oansprekber ynternasjonale bodies, ferwei fan gewoane kiezers, rjochte mear skea oan as naties dy't harren sels beskerme. De EU hat lidstaten yn in rampzalige muntnie dwinjen, arbeidsmarkten sûnder tastimming oer-oerspoel en lokale rechtbanken oan har lot oerlitten yn saken dy't echte minsken beroerde.
It wurd nationalisme wurdt brûkt om etniske hatte of fascisme te betsjutte. Mar dyn eigen lân leafhawwe, op dyn eigen folk fertrouwe en dyn eigen problemen sels oplosse wol is net itselde. In âlder dy't benammen om syn eigen bern jout is net hatlik tsjin oare gezinnen. In stee dy't in stee bliuwe wol, yn stee fan in buortkant fan in megastêd te wurden, begiet gjin misdried tsjin 'e minskheid. Dit binne sûnde instinkten dy't ienewichheid funksjonearjende mienskippen boud hawwe.
Politisy en journalisten dy't nationalisme ôfwise wolle net sjen wat it wirklich is: normale minsken dy't wer kontrole oer har eigen saken nieme. As Brussel kiezers negearje, as Washington lytse lannen sizze wat doen, as banken en techbedriuwen regels stelle sûnder demokratyske ynbring, tike minsken harren ta lieders dy't beluofte te harken. Nim dat populisme of nationalisme as do wilt. Mar dwaan oft it probleem minsken binne dy't in si yn har eigen bestjoer wolle is unioer.
De echte dieling is net nationalisme tsjin ynternasjonalisme. It is macht dy't omhoog streamt, fuort fan mienskippen, nei fierlannen haadstêden en bedriuwshaadkwartieren. Naties en stêden bedrigje freden net. Byrokrasyen dy't har kiezers negearje dogge dat wol. Oant elites dit simpele feit akseptearre, sille se kiezingsstriid bliuwe ferliest tsjin minsken dy't harke.
Published January 11, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân