Politics Among Nations

Nationalism, Old and New

Morgenthau believes that “the moral limitations upon the struggle for power on the international scene are weaker today than they have been at any time in the history of the modern state system” (349). This has been the result of the breakdown of an international order into various national orders. Bonds between the leaders of nations (like the one that united the aristocracies of pre-19th century Europe) are weaker than present-day institutional and religious bonds.

In the 19th century, there were “two kinds” of conflicts. One arose between nations “over the delimitation of their respective spheres of dominion” (350), and the other type was characterized by wars of resistance that specific groups brought against dominant nations. After World War I, it was widely believed that the act of giving every national group their own nation-state would lead to global peace. However, the late 20th century has proven that the new form of conflict is instead driven by “nationalistic universalism” (351), which denotes the drive of one nation to impose its values on other nations.

The Struggle for the Minds of Men

In the past, city-states and nations always used propaganda to win the support of other nations. In the post-World War II era, technology has made propaganda more effective, and it has become a tool that is just as important as military power and diplomacy.