"Nationalism is often its own worst enemy"

"I’ve been very discouraged by the global rise in nationalism. But there is one glimmer of hope. Nationalism is often its own worst enemy. ...

"In yesterday’s election in Canada, we saw an almost perfect example of ... the internal contradictions of global nationalism.

“'[Conservative leader Pierre] Poilievre had been running a disciplined and effective campaign which had him with a 25-point lead in our final poll of 2024, ... But suddenly everything was 'radically disrupted' by several factors ... the 'most important' disruption for Poilievre was the 'visceral recoil' Canadians felt when they heard Trump talk about annexation. ...

"'A wave of nationalism swept the country, with Canadians booing the American national anthem at hockey games, boycotting U.S. products, and all but abandoning cross-border travel.

"'This put Poilievre in a near-impossible position. Much of his base—including many of his MPs—admire Trump. But with Trump openly attacking Canada, and with Poilievre’s own anti-woke rhetoric and disdain for the mainstream media, he found himself trapped. Attempts to distance himself from Trump could alienate core supporters, while embracing the American president would push away everyone else.'

"I would argue that the single most consequential action of President Trump’s first 100 days (for better or worse) was his trade war with Canada, which clearly prevented the election of a Conservative administration. Before the trade war, the Conservatives were set to win by a historic landslide.

"Next up, Australia: ... [where] the prospect of conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton winning power was 'very frightening' [said one voter], after seeing the disruption caused by Donald Trump in the United States'."

~ Scott Sumner, composite quote from his posts 'Global nationalism?' and 'Global nationalism: Part 2'