Without nationalism, there would not be a war in Ukraine right now. If there is no nation, if it doesn’t matter what the agglomeration to which you belong is called, if patriotism is ridiculous, community is non-existent, history and language are arbitrary, and your only duty is to yourself, then nobody would fight for national sovereignty.
Without strong feelings of Ukrainian nationalism, there would not be a war right now. That is an absolute fact. However, it is also a fact that what Ukrainians are trying to buy for themselves with all of this sacrifice right now is a chance to not be a global favela. Nationalism exacts very high costs, but it is also the only existing form of statehood ever experienced or imagined by humanity where the absolute majority of the population experiences material comfort and is endowed with rights.
If you have the wherewithal to build a gated community around yourself, then you don’t need to pay the high costs of nationalism, but that is the lot of a very small minority of people.
Clarissa's Blog 