【Report】Nationalism and War: The Long-Term Perspective

Nationalism and War: The Long-Term Perspective

October 3, 2024
Andreas Wimmer (Lieber Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy, Columbia University)

On October 3, 2024, Andreas Wimmer, Lieber Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy at Columbia University, delivered a presentation on the linkage between nationalism and war at Ritsumeikan University.

Prof. Wimmer emphasized that his presentation focused on a generalizable linkage between nationalism and war, not individual wars. He explained that nationalism has garnered more interest today as we witness the rise of nationalistic leaders such as Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, and Vladimir Putin.

The presentation argued that nationalism is a critical force that drives war in the modern world. When empires and dynasties transformed into nation-states, violent civil wars often ensued. Nationalism leads to war because it necessitates states to be governed by their respective nations and delegitimizes the rule by ethnic others. This leads to three types of war. The first is secessionist civil war, in which parts of the country seek to break away from the rest. The second is ethnic civil war, in which ethnic groups within the same country fight over the control of the state. Finally, nationalist sentiments, such as the desire to incorporate parts of the territory belonging to other states, can cause interstate wars. In turn, Prof. Wimmer argued that nationalism has made wars of conquest less likely because states cannot establish legitimate rule over the territories belonging to other nation-states.

He illustrated his theory with ongoing armed conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Palestine. He argued that both wars fit the pattern of his theory. Following Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, tensions arose between ethnic Russians and Ukrainians over the control of the state. Israel has marginalized the Palestinian population for decades. As Prof. Wimmer's theory predicts, these conditions driven by nationalism have paved the way for war.

During the Q&A session, the audience asked many questions, such as the extent to which nationalism has a causal impact on the probability of war, the likelihood of non-nation states—such as monarchies—entering a war, and whether Prof. Wimmer’s theory of nationalism holds water in multi-ethnic countries in Southeast Asia.