Liberalism, Nationalism, and National Liberation Struggles

Abstract

This paper consists of three parts. Taking John Rawls ’s recently published The Law of Peoples as my starting point, I argue that the principles he enunciates and the definitions he employs necessarily endorse independence for liberal peoples in both a liberal and a not fully liberal world. I then examine the question of the compatibility of liberalism and nationalism, a compatibility that Rawls takes for granted in his discussion. I conclude that, although there is no definitive answer to the question, there are persuasive conceptual reasons for viewing liberalism and nationalism as compatible as well as eminently important practical reasons for attempting a reconciliation between the two. Finally, I argue that the national liberation struggles of liberal peoples in the former Soviet bloc either demonstrate empirically that liberalism and nationalism are compatible or, at the very least, raise important questions about the relationship of liberalism and nationalism that should concern liberals.