At the height of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump declared that “America First” would be the “overriding and major theme” of his adm...
At the height of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump declared that “America First” would be the “overriding and major theme” of his administration. For all its faults, there is a market for this sentiment.
Around 65 percent of those surveyed responded positively to his inaugural speech, which confirmed that “America First” would be the principle guiding Trump’s economic and foreign policy. Many have criticised Trump for popularising a statement that was coined by pro-fascist and isolationist pressure group, the America First Committee. Others believe that, even if Trump did not intend it to be so, an overly patriotic message from a charismatic populist leader can open the door for other aggressive and extreme nationalist sentiments.
In the bold and fairly controversial book Why Nationalism, activist, politician, and academic Yael Tamir offers an alternative interpretation of “America First”. That the American populace was overwhelmingly receptive to this message, she believes, shows that there is inherent value in exploring it meaningfully.
To this end, Tamir first profiles this populace. She identifies them as those working and middle class persons, inhabitants of non-metropolitan areas, who are able to see the benefits and opportunities presented by globalism but unable to share in them. Such populations, she explains, are left with little...
