Below is the intervention read by Dave Petteys, representing ACT for America 5280 Coalition at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Session 1 “Preventing Aggressive Nationalism, Racism and Chauvinism”, Warsaw, September 23, 2013.
Many thanks to Henrik Ræder Clausen for recording this video, and to Vlad Tepes for subtitling and uploading this video:
The prepared text of Mr. Petteys’ remarks is below (pdf here):
It is my pleasure to address this esteemed body on the very important topic of “PREVENTING AGGRESSIVE NATIONALISM, RACISM AND CHAUVINISM” as delineated in the Annotated Agenda.
To quote: “The participating States are invited to discuss ways of counteracting the rise of extreme nationalist discourse in the political process, effective strategies to promote more inclusive and cohesive societies as well as adequate legal responses in dealing with hate crimes, discrimination, racism, as violent manifestations of extremism associated with aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism.”
What strikes me, Mr. Moderator, is the glaring omission! No mention has been made of Islamic Jihad that is wreaking havoc around the world, from Indonesia, to Nigeria to Syria, to Nairobi, and even in the OSCE participating States themselves! There have been over 21,000 deadly attacks of Islamic Jihad since Sept 11, 2001 with the loss of countless lives. If the goal of the OSCE is to establish “Security and Cooperation in Europe”, this body cannot simply ignore Jihad and hope it will go away.
The assumption seems to be that Jihad is caused by poverty and support for Israel. But if that were true, the billions in aid support in the Middle East, and tolerance of Muslim immigration into the west should be yielding a more peaceful integrated society.
Yet citizens of the West are facing a growing hostility from Muslim communities who express no intention of integrating! In fact, they are forming enclaves that become “no-go zones” for local authorities, such as the French “Zones Urbaines Sensibles” or the Tower Hamlets in London.
The Qur’anic Doctrine of Islamic Supremacy breeds INTOLERANCE of Christians and Jews4! Muslim leaders even talk openly of Islamizing their host societies.
For links to previous articles about the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, see the OSCE Archives.
Aren’t Chauvinism and Nationalism practically the same? I’m sure there are subtle differences but both being mentioned in a title seems strange. Anyway, I’m half blootered and I’m thinking perhaps chauvinism (excessive patriotism) means something different in America English, perhaps being mistaken for the feminists’ ‘male chauvinism’. Ech…. Je vais me coucher, bonne nuit!
No, one can be a nationalist, and proud of ones country and it’s achievements, without being a ‘chauvinist’. Chauvinism requires arrogance.
Yes, over here one is more likely to hear the word “chauvinist” in the phrase “male chauvinist pig” than in any other verbal agglomeration. Many people probably aren’t aware of any other meaning.
Pingback: What About Jihad? - Liberties Alliance :: Liberties Alliance
Nationalism as such only implies dedication to one’s nation as a fundamental cause. Chauvinism as such only implies denigration of the claims of other peoples, it is not restricted to those groups defined (or definable in principle) as nations and does not have to be in the service of a particular nation (hence “male chauvinism”), as the initial meaning of the term was for an attitude that the nation of France should be one way (Bonapartist) and not another, not for the notion of defending the nation as such.
Nationalistic chauvinism is commonplace, but anti-chauvinist nationalism that seeks the survival and prosperity of one’s own nation by isolation or cooperative association rather than by conquest are quite possible (and much more rational than militarily aggressive nationalism, given the effects of unnecessary wars on nations), as is chauvinism primarily devoted to attacking political adversaries within one’s own nation (the original meaning) without promoting the nation itself as the defining collective which should benefit.