A number of liberals defend nationalism as compatible with, even an aid in realizing,
the values of liberty, democracy and social justice. In the process, they also
defend the doctrine that it is legitimate to grant moral priority to conationals or
compatriots. While not hostile to national attachment in all circumstances, and
conceding a limited universalist case for prioritizing fellow group members, this
article argues that even liberal nationalism is liable to be found wanting in
situations where dominant-group nationals are called upon to show fulsome solidarity
with their oppressed national ‘other’. It focuses on the way
liberal nationalism and sentimental partiality to conationals can distort moral
judgement, rendering it difficult for dominant-group nationalists to recognize and
fight oppression. The case is illustrated by way of a critical discussion of the
reaction of liberal Zionists to the second or Al Aqsa Intifadain Israel–Palestine.
Barak, E.
,
B. Morris
,
R. Malley
and
H. Agha
(2002a)
‘Camp David and After: An Exchange’
, New York Review of Books49(10):
42–49
.
2.
Barak, E.
,
B. Morris
,
R. Malley
and
H. Agha
(2002b)
‘Camp David and After – Continued’
, New York Review of Books49(11):
47–49
.
3.
Barber, B.
(1996) ‘Constitutional
Faith’, in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
30–37.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
4.
Baron, M.
(1991)
‘Impartiality and Friendship’
, Ethics101(4):
836–857
.
5.
Barry, B.
(1996) Justice As Impartiality.
Oxford: Clarendon Press
.
6.
Beilin, Y.
(2002) ‘A Different Life is Still Possible, But
It's Slipping Away’, The Guardian,
‘Home News’, 2 April: 5-5.
7.
Blum, L.
(1980) Friendship, Altruism and Morality.
London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
.
8.
Bok, S.
(1996) ‘From Part To Whole’,
in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
38–44.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
9.
Brighouse, H.
(1996) ‘Against Nationalism’,
in
J. Couture
,
K. Nielsen
and
M. Seymour
(eds) Rethinking Nationalism, pp.
365–405.
Calgary: University of Calgary Press
.
10.
Buchanan, A.
(1991) Secession: The Morality of Political Divorce from Fort
Sumter to Lithuania and Quebec.
Boulder, CO: Westview Press
.
11.
Carusso, R.D.
(1994) ‘Chutzpah by Alan
Dershowitz’ [http://www.carasso.com/roger/Israel/dershowitz.html].
12.
Cohen Almagor, R.
(2002) ‘An Israeli's Shift From Peace
Activist to War Backer’, The Washington Post,
‘Outlook’, 31 March: B1-B1.
13.
Cottingham, J.
(1983)
‘Ethics and Impartiality’
, Philosophical Studies43:
83–99
.
14.
Couture, J.
,
K. Nielsen
and
M. Seymour
(1996) ‘Afterword: Liberal Nationalism Both
Cosmopolitan and Rooted’, in
J. Couture
,
K. Nielsen
and
M. Seymour
(eds) Rethinking Nationalism, pp.
579–662.
Calgary: University of Calgary Press
.
15.
De Wachter, F.
(1996) ‘In Search of a Post-National Identity:
Who Are My People?’ in
J. Couture
,
K. Nielsen
and
M. Seymour
(eds) Rethinking Nationalism, pp.
197–217.
Calgary: University of Calgary Press
.
16.
Freedland, J.
(2000) ‘Doves Must Be Hawks’,
The Guardian, ‘Leader Page’, 11 October: 19-19.
17.
Friedman, T.L.
(2000a) ‘Time to Choose,
Yasir’, New York Times, Section A, 6 October: 33-33.
18.
Friedman, T.L.
(2000b) ‘Arafat's
War’, New York Times, Section A, 13 October: 33-33.
19.
Friedman, T.L.
(2001) ‘It Only Gets Worse’,
New York Times, Section A, 22 May: 19-19.
20.
Gewirth, A.
(1988)
‘Ethical Universalism and Particularism’
, The Journal of Philosophy85(6):
283–302
.
21.
Gilligan, C.
(1982) In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and
Women's Development.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
.
22.
Glaser, D.
(2003)
‘Apartheid and Zionism: A Moral Comparison’
, Ethnic and Racial Studies26(3):
403–421
.
23.
Goodin, R.
(1985) Protecting the Vulnerable: A Reanalysis of our Social
Responsibilities.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press
.
24.
Goodin, R.
(1988)
‘What Is So Special About Our Fellow Countrymen?’
, Ethics98(4):
663–686
.
25.
Gutmann, A.
(1996) ‘Democratic
Citizenship’, in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
66–71.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
26.
Ha'aretz
(2000) ‘The Left in Distress’,
special survey, 20 October.
27.
Hurka, T.
(1997) ‘The Justification of National
Partiality’, in
R. McKim
and
J. McMahan
(eds) The Morality of Nationalism, pp.
139–157.
New York: Oxford University Press
.
28.
Kaplan, M.
(2002) ‘Security for Israel via
NATO?’, The Washington Times,
‘Commentary’, 16 April: A17-A17.
29.
Karpf, A.
(2002) ‘Israel's
Conscience’, The Guardian,
‘Features’, 11 February: 16-16.
30.
Kekes, J.
(1981)
‘Morality and Impartiality’
, American Philosophical Quarterly18(4):
295–303
.
31.
Kimmerling, B.
(1983) Zionism and Territory: The Socio-Territorial Dimension
of Zionist Politics, Research Series No. 51.
Berkeley, CA: Institute of International Studies
.
32.
Kymlicka, W.
(1996) Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of
Minority Rights.
Oxford: Clarendon Press
.
33.
Laor, Y.
(2001)
‘Tears of Zion’
, New Left Review10 (second series):
47–60
.
34.
Lichtenberg, J.
(1981) ‘National Boundaries and Moral
Boundaries: A Cosmopolitan View’, in
P. Brown
and
H. Shue
(eds) Boundaries: National Autonomy and its Limits, pp.
79–100.
Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield
.
35.
Lichtenberg, J.
(1997) ‘Nationalism, For and Mainly
Against’, in
R. McKim
and
J. McMahan
(eds) The Morality of Nationalism, pp.
158–175.
New York: Oxford University Press
.
36.
MacAskill, E.
and
K. Dawoud
(2001) ‘Intifada Divides the Israeli Peace
Camp’, The Guardian, ‘International
News’, 5 January: 15-15.
37.
Malley, R.
and
H. Agha
(2001)
‘Camp David: The Tragedy of Errors’
, New York Review of Books48(13):
59–65
38.
Marcus, Y.
(2001) ‘He Has Declared War on
Us’, Ha'aretz, 4 December.
39.
Margalit, A.
(2001)
‘The Middle East: Snakes & Ladders’
, New York Review of Books48(8):
20–23
.
40.
Marshala, N.
(1999) ‘A Critique on Benny
Morris’, in
I. Pappe
(ed.) The Israel/Palestine Question, pp.
211–220.
London: Routledge
.
41.
McConnell, M.
(1996) ‘Don't Neglect The Little
Platoons’, in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
78–84.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
42.
McMahan, J.
(1997) ‘The Limits of National
Partiality’, in
R. McKim
and
J. McMahan
(eds) The Morality of Nationalism, pp.
107–138.
New York: Oxford University Press
.
43.
Melman, Y.
(2002) ‘We Cannot Have Them
Back’, The Guardian, 20 September: 17-17.
44.
Miller, D.
(1995) On Nationality.
Oxford: Clarendon Press
.
45.
Morris, B.
(1987) The Origins of the Palestinian Refugee Problem,
1947–1949.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
.
46.
Morris, B.
(2002) ‘Peace? No Chance’,
The Guardian, ‘Features’, 20 February: 2-2.
47.
Nathanson, S.
(1997) ‘Nationalism and the Limits of Global
Humanism’, in
R. McKim
and
J. McMahan
(eds) The Morality of Nationalism, pp.
176–187.
New York: Oxford University Press
.
48.
Nussbaum, M.
(1996a) ‘Patriotism and
Cosmopolitanism’, in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
3–17.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
49.
Nussbaum, M.
(1996b) ‘Reply’, in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
131–144.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
50.
Oldenquist, A.
(1982)
‘Loyalties’
, The Journal of Philosophy74(4):
173–193
.
51.
Oz, A.
(2000) ‘Why Arafat Must Take The
Blame’, The Guardian, ‘Leader
Page,’ 13 October: 22-22. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,646000,00.html]
52.
Oz, A.
(2001a) ‘Doves Should Re-examine Their
Perch’, The Guardian, ‘Foreign
Pages’, 5 January: 15-15.
53.
Oz, A.
(2001b) ‘Arafat's Gift To Us:
Sharon’, The Guardian, ‘Features’,
8 February: 2-2.
54.
Oz, A.
(2002) ‘How Palestinian Hawks Silenced
Israel's Doves’, The Guardian,
‘International News’, 7 February.
55.
Pettit, P.
and
R. Goodin
(1986)
‘The Possibility of Special Duties’
, The Canadian Journal of Philosophy16(4):
651–676
56.
Pogge, T.
(1996) ‘The Bounds of
Nationalism’, in
J. Couture
,
K. Nielsen
and
M. Seymour
(eds) Rethinking Nationalism, pp.
463–504.
Calgary: University of Calgary Press
.
57.
Ram, U.
(1999) ‘The Colonization Perspective in Israeli
Sociology’, in
Ilan Pappe
(ed.) The Israel/Palestine Question, pp.
55–80.
London and New York: Routledge
.
58.
Ripstein, A.
(1997) ‘Context, Continuity, and
Fairness’, in
R. McKim
and
J. McMahan
(eds) The Morality of Nationalism.
New York: Oxford University Press
.
59.
Ron, J.
(2000) ‘Israel's Liberals Must Speak
Out For Palestinians’, Boston Globe,
‘Op-Ed’, 4 November: A19-A19
60.
Rorty, R.
(1989) Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity.
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
.
61.
Rosensaft, M.
(2000) ‘Wrong about Arafat’,
Washington Post, ‘Op-Ed’, 4 October: A23-A23.
62.
Schrag, F.
(1976)
‘Justice and The Family’
, Inquiry19:
193–208
63.
Shafir, G.
(1999) ‘Zionism and Colonialism: A Comparative
Approach’, in
Ilan Pappe
(ed.) The Israel/Palestine Question, pp.
81–96.
London and New York: Routledge
.
64.
Shipler, D.
(2002) ‘Soothing Israel's
Fears’, New York Times, Section A, 7 January, 19-19.
65.
Shue, H.
(1980) Basic Rights: Subsistence, Affluence, and US Foreign
Policy.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
.
66.
Shue, H.
(1997) ‘Eroding Sovereignty: The Advance of a
Principle’, in
R. McKim
and
J. McMahan
(eds) The Morality of Nationalism, pp.
340–359.
New York: Oxford University Press
.
67.
Singer, P.
(1972)
‘Famine, Affluence, and Morality’
, Philosophy and Public Affairs1(1):
229–243
.
68.
Singer, P.
(1981) The Expanding Circle: Ethics and Sociobiology.
Oxford: Clarendon Press
.
69.
Solomon, A.
(2000) ‘The Silence of the
Left’, The Village Voice,
18–24 October.
70.
Sontag, D.
(2001) ‘Quest for Mideast Peace: How and Why it
Failed’, New York Times, Section A, 26 July: 1-1.
71.
Tamir, Y.
(1993) Liberal Nationalism.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
.
72.
Taylor, C.
(1996) ‘Why Democracy Needs
Patriotism’, in
Joshua Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
119–121.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
73.
Telfer, E.
(1970–71)
‘Friendship’
, in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society: Containing the
Papers Read before the Society during the Ninety-second Session
1970–71, pp.
223–241
. London: Methuen in association with the Aristotelian Society.
74.
Toulmin, S.
(1981)
‘The Tyranny of Principles’
, The Hastings Center Report11(6):
31–39
75.
Usher, G.
(2002) ‘Israel's Peace Army
Mobilises’, The Guardian, ‘Overseas
News’, 6 February: 19-19.
76.
Walker, B.
(1996) ‘Social Movements as Nationalisms or, On
The Very Idea of a Queer Nation’, in
J. Couture
,
K. Nielsen
and
M. Seymour
(eds) Rethinking Nationalism, pp.
505–547.
Calgary: University of Calgary Press
.
77.
Walzer, M.
(1983) Spheres of Justice: A Defence of Pluralism and
Equality.
Oxford: Basil Blackwell
.
78.
Walzer, M.
(1989) Two Kinds of Universalism.
Tanner Lectures on Human Values. Oxford: Oxford
University Press
.
79.
Walzer, M.
(1996) ‘Spheres of
Affection’, in
J. Cohen
(ed.) For Love of Country: Debating The Limits of Patriotism, pp.
125–127.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press
.
80.
Wasserstrom, R.
(1975)
‘Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues’
, Human Rights5(1):
1–24
81.
Wiener, J.
(2000) ‘Depth of Arab Outrage, Violence Shakes
Jews Across the Spectrum’, Jewish Telegraph Agency
Online, 11 October [http://www.zipple.com/newsandpolitics/usnews/20001011_shaken.shtml].
82.
Williams, B.
(1981) Moral Luck: Philosophical Papers
1973–1980.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
.
