Latest news with #nationalism
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Iran's leaders reach back to pre-Islamic times to stoke nationalism
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has often expressed disdain for its pre-Islamic past when the land was ruled by kings, calling that a time of 'illusions, not a source of pride' that was afflicted by corruption and dictatorship. So it was a stark shift in tone when, in a speech just days after the Israeli onslaught against Iran last month, Khamenei repeatedly praised the country's 'ancient civilization' and boasted that Iran has 'cultural and civilizational wealth' far greater than that of America. By stressing Iran's cultural rather than religious identity, he sought to rally a population that was not only rattled by the 12 days of Israeli strikes but that also has, in large measure, soured on the clerics who rule the Islamic republic and the religious ideology that defines how society is governed. Khamenei's remarks — watched closely as a signal to the thousands of bureaucrats, law enforcement officials and clerics who make the government run — represented the highest possible deployment of nationalism. This effort to tap into Iran's millennia-old civilization was not a one-off. A billboard newly installed in Tehran praises an ancient Persian king, while another in the capital depicts the mythical figure of Arash the Archer accompanied by a volley of missiles. Yet another billboard in the city of Shiraz — an adaptation of a rock carving near the ruins of the ancient city Persepolis — depicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the role of the Roman emperor Valerian kneeling before the victorious Persians, whose empire predated the arrival of Islam in the 7th century A.D. The Islamic republic has always tended to put much more emphasis on religious legitimacy than on patriotism or nationalism. But at a religious ceremony earlier this month, Khamenei asked a performer to sing a rendition of a secular patriotic song — an especially unusual choice for such an event. 'To adopt all this stuff is to admit the ideology of Islamic revolution has failed,' said Ali Ansari, a historian at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. And though the government had used nationalist themes before, it was 'never quite on this scale, never quite on this intensity and never quite when they've been in this much trouble.' In recent years, Iran's standing in the region has suffered as several key allies, including Hezbollah and Hamas, have faced dramatic setbacks, and much of the population has struggled with dire economic conditions and government rule considered by many Iranians to be corrupt and repressive. It is unsurprising that Iran's leaders would frame their fight against Israel and the United States in nationalist terms to garner popular support, said Hosein Ghazian, a sociologist and pollster who worked in Iran and now lives in the U.S. Iran's government is willing to adapt its ideology, including by de-emphasizing religion, when it needs to, he said. 'When the government offers this new product to the market — a blend of nationalism, statism and Islamism — there are buyers for it,' Ghazian said. 'This choice is a rational and deliberate one, in order to be able to sell this product to the people for the sake of maintaining its own power.' This messaging is an uncomfortable fit with the dominant ideology of the Islamic republic — which calls for a break with Iran's monarchic past and the shaping of society in accordance with a specific Islamic vision — and reflects concessions to popular sentiment, which has moved away from religion in recent years. A confidential government poll conducted in 2023 and obtained by BBC Persian showed that the vast majority of respondents favored the separation of religion and politics. The use of elements drawn from Iran's pre-Islamic history is not completely new for the Islamic republic or its supporters. Populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad frequently referenced the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great. And some of the recent messaging has been cautious, rather than a full-throated endorsement of an Iranian secular identity. Patriotic songs recited at religious mourning ceremonies featured adapted lyrics that referenced Iran's Shiite Muslim faith. This new nationalist tone comes at a time when top officials have repeatedly cited what they say is a 'national cohesion' and 'unity' emerging in Iran in response to the Israeli and U.S. strikes last month. During the bombardment, there were reports of Iranians banding together to help each other and little evidence of demonstrations against the government. But it's difficult to know whether it enjoys more popular support now, as officials claim, given the lack of independent opinion polling in Iran. Ghazian said that while officials' efforts may be effective in the short term, any heightened nationalism among the Iranian people is more likely to be a response to a foreign enemy rather than positive support for the government. 'National solidarity and cohesion occurs when the people see the government to a large extent as their representative against a foreign country,' he said. Some dissidents have criticized the government for using national symbols even as it acts repressively. Iranian film director Jafar Panahi, who has criticized the government openly and been jailed as a result, posted audio and images on his Instagram page this week that he described as political prisoners singing a patriotic song, and he harshly condemned a wave of executions by the government. 'This action is not only a reaction to the death machine of the Islamic republic in the prisons, but also a direct and unrestrained blow to a government that wants to rewrite history and eradicate the identity of the nation through violence,' Panahi wrote of the prisoners' singing. Mohammad Javad Zarif, a former Iranian foreign minister who recently resigned from his post as a vice president amid political pressure and is despised by Iranian hard-liners, said in an interview with a state outlet published this month that Iranian national identity was bound up with both its pre-Islamic and Shiite Muslim roots. He urged respect for both. 'It's this identity of Iran that gives strength,' he said. He also acknowledged tension between the people and the government. 'We government officials … have not done [the people] much of a service,' Zarif said. 'They deserve far better than this.'
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Death toll rises on Thai-Cambodian border on third day of fighting
02:14 26/07/2025 Taiwan votes in high-stakes recall election that might oust China-friendly party Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 Thailand and Cambodia clash: A border dispute fuelled by nationalism Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 Thai-Cambodian tensions escalate amid internal rift between Thai military & military-linked parties Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 Thai-Cambodian border fighting enters second day Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 More than 140,000 flee as Thai, Cambodian border clashes escalate Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 100,000 flee Thai-Cambodian border as troops clash for second day Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 Thailand-Cambodia border crisis traces roots 'to pre-colonial Southeast Asia" Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 EU-China ties hit 'inflection point' and calls climate chage 'a priority' Europe
Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Far-right protesters want police costs to force closure of migrant hotel
A member of Homeland, the far-right group that has been helping to organise protests outside a migrant hotel in Essex, said the aim of demonstrations was to 'cause as much financial damage on the taxpayer as possible'. The party, which was founded in 2023 after splintering from Patriotic Alternative, another far-right group, pitches itself as a voice of 'sensible nationalism' with a focus on building trust at a local community level. Hope Not Hate, an anti-fascist organisation, has described Homeland as the 'biggest fascist, neo-Nazi party in the UK', an allegation the party denies. Three of its members — Callum Barker, Adam Clegg and Andrew Piper — are the sole administrators of a Facebook group of more than 1,500 people where protests outside The Bell hotel have been advertised and co-ordinated. A month before the protests began, Kai Stephens, another Homeland member, published a video on YouTube entitled 'how to shut down a migrant hotel' and a second one calling on people in Epping to 'fight back'. The videos provide instructions for 'attacking migrant hotels', advising activists first to set up a group on Facebook where protests can be organised, and then to start arranging demonstrations to take place 'week in, week out' so as to be a 'nuisance to the council'. • Janice Turner: We ask a lot from small towns that take migrants 'You need to have a string of protests to basically cause as much financial damage as possible on the taxpayer and as much police resources wasted as possible,' said Stephens, 20, from Norwich. He said that the presence of counter-demonstrators would force the police to deploy even more officers to avoid the potential for violence. If the protests continue for long enough, the authorities will ultimately decide it is cheaper to close the hotel, he said. The Bell has housed migrants since 2020, but protests were sparked after Hadush Kebatu, 38, an Ethiopian migrant and resident of the hotel, was charged with sexually assaulting a girl. In the past two weeks there have been four protests, attracting hundreds of people each time. BJ Harrington, chief constable of Essex police, said that protests have mainly been attended by 'law-abiding' people from the town but had also attracted 'thugs and vandals' from further afield. Last Thursday, the demonstration descended into violence as protesters brawled with police and smashed their vehicles. Eight officers were injured and a number of police vehicles were damaged as missiles were thrown, Essex police said. Barker and Piper have sought to spread the protests to other parts of the country by issuing a 'national call to action' on their social media pages. 'If you live in an area that has a hotel occupied by asylum seekers, start organising,' the notice read. The same notice has also been shared on the Telegram channel of the British Movement, an organisation that describes itself as national socialist, the ideology of the Nazis. Members of another neo-Nazi group, White Vanguard, have also attended protests in Epping and were filmed handing out flyers that read: 'Preserve the white race.' • Fewer than 500 migrants charged with entering UK illegally A Homeland spokesman said: 'The Homeland Party is a democratic nationalist party committed to political engagement through lawful, electoral means. We reject extremism and oppose fascism in principle and practice.'
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Don't expect votes for 16-year-olds to change the world. It's the 25-35s who are the rebels
The UK government has confirmed it will deliver its manifesto pledge to lower the voting age to 16 before the next general election, due in 2029. It intends this to apply to all types of elections across the UK, including Assembly and council contests in Northern Ireland . Naturally, the first question this has raised is how it will affect the balance between unionism and nationalism. The presumption is that nationalism will benefit due to the younger age profile of the Catholic population. This explains a sharp orange-green split on the issue: in an opinion poll last year, 70 per cent of nationalists supported votes at 16 compared with 6 per cent of unionists. The consensus among experts is that while nationalism will gain, the electoral impact will be negligible, amounting to less than a 1 per cent advantage. That does imperil two marginal DUP Westminster seats, but it looks trivial in terms of Assembly and council elections, which are held under proportional representation in Northern Ireland, rather than Westminster's first-past-the-post system. READ MORE Rather than fretting over tribal headcounts, perhaps unionists should be more concerned about the remarkable incuriosity towards Britain this story reveals. Scotland has had votes at 16 since its 2014 independence referendum, extended shortly afterwards to council and Scottish parliament elections. Wales reduced the voting age to 16 for assembly elections in 2021 and council elections the following year. These changes have generated a wealth of evidence, research and debate, with specific relevance to devolution, yet Northern Ireland appears completely oblivious to it. Devolution was meant to foster engagement between the constituent parts of the UK. Votes at 16 is a striking illustration of how the regions have instead become wrapped up in their own little worlds. [ Should 16-year-olds have the right to vote? A political scientist and a youth leader debate Opens in new window ] There ought to be particular fascination with the Scottish independence referendum, the first time 16- and 17-year-olds could vote in the UK. Contrary to almost everyone's expectations, they backed the union by a similar percentage to the electorate overall. The outliers were people aged 25 to 35, who exhibited by far the strongest backing for independence. Had unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland paid this the slightest notice, their hopes and fears over lowering the voting age might not be so pronounced. The clearest finding from research on Scotland, Wales and other countries with voting at 16 is that it boosts long-term participation in elections. A person enfranchised at that age is more likely to continue voting as they get older than would otherwise have been the case. The second-clearest finding is that this makes no long-term difference to how they vote or their interest in politics. As they get older, their voting patterns and political activity are exactly as would always have been expected given their socio-economic background. The rebelliousness of 25- to 35-year-olds in the Scottish independence referendum was repeated across the UK in the 2019 general election. Photograph: Richard Baker/Because few places had voting at 16 until a decade ago, there is only evidence for its long-term effects up to the age of about 30. Some of that evidence suggests the effect fades with time. Nevertheless, it raises total participation and this has a simple explanation: 16- and 17-year-olds are generally in the care of adults who will assist and cajole them into the habit of voting. By contrast, the few years of flux from 18 onwards are the worst time to acquire civic duties. Merely maintaining a registered address can be a challenge. The importance of family explains why young first-time voters can be surprisingly conservative. They are influenced by their parents, although there is some evidence parents are influenced in turn, especially on issues where teenagers and adults tend to disagree, such as immigration or climate change. The image of a nuclear family discussing politics around the dinner table is a cliche that will infuriate the left, which ironically helps explain why the left is not as popular as it believes. All this points to business as usual in Northern Ireland, where politics is largely seen to be hereditary. The rebelliousness of 25- to 35-year-olds in the Scottish independence referendum was repeated across the UK in the 2019 general election, when that age group backed Labour under Jeremy Corbyn far more than the younger voters he was predicted to win over. It turns out that what radicalises voters is not youth but the struggles of settling down. The implication for Northern Ireland is that relatively affordable housing may be more crucial to the union than appreciated. Voting at 16 has focused attention in Scotland and Wales on better civic education in the classroom. This can cause contention and be a lose-lose situation, with schools accused either of not doing enough or of propagandising. Northern Ireland's divided education system will have to handle this with care. It could look to Scotland and Wales for models and warnings. But first, it will have to remember the other devolved regions exist.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Thailand, Cambodia trade blame as clashes erupt at border area
Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged fire early on Thursday in fresh clashes near a border temple, as a territorial dispute which has whipped up nationalist anger on both sides threatens to spill out of control. Both countries traded blame for the first clash in weeks at the flashpoint Ta Moan Thom temple, which is in a disputed zone near Thailand's eastern frontier with Cambodia. In a statement early on Thursday, the Thai military said Cambodian troops sparked the clash, deploying a surveillance drone and then opening fire after sending troops with heavy weapons – including rocket launchers – to the flashpoint area. At least two Thai soldiers were wounded in the clashes, Thai army deputy spokesman Colonel Richa Suksuwanont told reporters. At least two Thai civilians have been killed and two others injured by Thursday's shelling from the Cambodian side, a Thai district official said. In a rebuttal published by state-backed Fresh News on social media, Cambodia said it 'launched a counter attack on Thai invaders' who had first fired at their troops and closed the temple area to Cambodian 'citizens entering'.
