Nationalism switches from being progressive to being reactionary when it is used to justify support for colonizers and imperialists.
Which indeed can happen and has. National groups who were once oppressed can simply become the oppressor. Begin their own colonization and imperialism using historical ethnic grievance as justification. You have brought up an example of one.
One reason nationalism is not like the other forms of identity, gender/sex or LGBT, is that of the capacity to mutate in this way. The idea of, say, people within the LGBT forming some kind of imperial force against straight cis people is absurd for a reason.
Further, for my own personal critique being an atheist, those other examples do not have united religious or spiritual associations. I do not want the religious unifying as a practical matter as a leftist and anti-theist.
It’s quite possible for formerly oppressed people to become oppressors along the lines of queer supremacy, matriarchy, etc. These ideas are only ridiculous in the context of the present state of things, class society set up to where queer folk and women are oppressed. The working class will become the new oppressor class over the capitalist class, and this will be a good thing.
Understanding the right of nations to self-determination does not mean blind acceptance of any nationalism. This is a reductive take. Nationalism is not simply “my people are superior,” it’s the struggle for self-determination, for sovereignty from colonialism and imperialism. This, again, finds its basis in Marx, advanced by Lenin and Stalin but at heart Marx.
For genuine internationalism, there must be no colonialism. We must fight colonialism, neocolonialism, and imperialism so that all nations may be free of oppression by other nations, as a necessary step towards eradicating capitalism and establishing socialism.
Which indeed can happen and has. National groups who were once oppressed can simply become the oppressor. Begin their own colonization and imperialism using historical ethnic grievance as justification. You have brought up an example of one.
One reason nationalism is not like the other forms of identity, gender/sex or LGBT, is that of the capacity to mutate in this way. The idea of, say, people within the LGBT forming some kind of imperial force against straight cis people is absurd for a reason.
Further, for my own personal critique being an atheist, those other examples do not have united religious or spiritual associations. I do not want the religious unifying as a practical matter as a leftist and anti-theist.
It’s quite possible for formerly oppressed people to become oppressors along the lines of queer supremacy, matriarchy, etc. These ideas are only ridiculous in the context of the present state of things, class society set up to where queer folk and women are oppressed. The working class will become the new oppressor class over the capitalist class, and this will be a good thing.
Understanding the right of nations to self-determination does not mean blind acceptance of any nationalism. This is a reductive take. Nationalism is not simply “my people are superior,” it’s the struggle for self-determination, for sovereignty from colonialism and imperialism. This, again, finds its basis in Marx, advanced by Lenin and Stalin but at heart Marx.
For genuine internationalism, there must be no colonialism. We must fight colonialism, neocolonialism, and imperialism so that all nations may be free of oppression by other nations, as a necessary step towards eradicating capitalism and establishing socialism.