Odds are good that no one has ever asked if you are an internationalist, but your answer to that question reveals much about your orientation to your fellow human beings around the globe. It is worth your time to give it some thought. 

To assist you we will briefly describe what internationalism is, its origins, how those who believe in it operate in the modern world, and its opponents. 

It is a simple concept, and refers to the belief that all humans are of equal worth, and deserving equal rights politically and before the law. In addition, all nation-states are thought to have equal standing in the world community and are equally sovereign. Countries need to work together through international organizations such as the United Nations and World Health Organization to promote peace, reduce conflict, and protect global public health. Cultural and educational exchanges across borders are encouraged. 

The origins of the concept of human equality can be traced at least as far back as the Stoics in Greece and Rome thousands of years ago. Many of them thought that all people were united by having a spark of reason deserving of respect, and that no one is inherently superior. At the start of the modern era British philosopher Jeremy Benthem coined the word “international” in his 1780 work, “Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation.” A utilitarian, he thought that the greatest good is in a society in which, “Everybody to count for one, and nobody for more than one.”   

Somewhat later, a left wing version of internationalism emerged. Among its early proponents were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who declared that all the workers of the world had common interests and should run the planet. Their task was to join together and dismantle nation-states, militarism, colonialism and capitalism – peacefully if possible. In the Communist Manifesto, their clarion call was, “Workers of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains.” 

Internationalists are best enemies with tribalists and nationalists who believe that God or history has ordained that they are superior to other peoples, and that their governments may act with little restraint against other nation-states when interests are at stake. Extreme ethnic nationalists such as the Nazis of Germany think it acceptable to exterminate the “other”. Like it or not, around the world ethnic nationalism is on the rise. 

At the political level in the US, the most influential nationalists today are the Neo-conservatives. They believe that the United States is an “exceptional . . shining city on a hill” that has the right to dominate the planet. They have pushed for all the recent Forever Wars and have been willing to lie to do so in the service of what they see as the greater good. They knowingly lied about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in 2003. 

Neocons support more military spending in the search for “full spectrum dominance” of the entire globe. They oppose nearly all international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and the World Health Organization which they see as unjust limitations on US national power. International law and courts are seen as enemies, and successive US administrations have tried to weaken or abolish them. Like it or not, the Neocon world view is now dominant in US universities and the mainstream media.  

In spite of having not much in the way of common ethnic roots, Americans are quite nationalistic. We are taught in most schools and many churches from a young age that the United States of America is “the greatest country in the world,” and the way we do things is the best. Some of us do not mind very much when our President insults and threatens other countries and peoples, even long-standing allies like Canada. 

A good indicator of internationalism’s popularity is the extent of support for international organizations. Surprisingly, in spite of all the opposition, such support is quite strong both globally and in the United States. Recent surveys commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation and the PEW Research Center, both with many thousands of respondents in dozens of countries, found support for the UN and WHO at over 55 %. And even in the United States support for the UN was at 57 %. Thus, it seems likely that internationalism is a widely held perspective both around the world as well as in the United States. 

Most internationalists believe it is quite all right to cheer for one’s country’s cultural or athletic heroes, and take pride in one’ s homeland. In that sense, there is a little bit of nationalism in almost all of us. As the soccer World Cup progresses, there will be many displays of exuberant national pride. 

How might this information be useful to you? Well, you might decide to join any of the many organizations with an internationalist agenda, from the World Central Kitchen to Doctors Without Borders to the United Nations Association. 

For several centuries now toxic nationalism has been a scourge on the planet, particularly when fueled by ethnicity, religion or ideology. There is a chance that it could be the end of us. Robust internationalist education and institutions are the best tools available to resist it. 

So, one more time, Are you an internationalist?  

---

---