From the outside, nationalism seems to be regaining ground after years during which globalisation has been conquering every corner of political and economic governance everywhere. I always believed that nationalism necessarily is part of how people comprehend their reality. I never understood that nationalism automatically meant choices that would clash with the interests of other nations. That is not how it should be. If understood in this way, nationalism inevitably becomes a dangerous approach for it ends up stimulating war.

It's clear unfortunately that elements of contemporary nationalism appear to be falling into such a mould. The challenge is how to not let this development take over, in full respect for the nationalist aspirations of all peoples. In such a perspective, total attention needs to be kept, and controls exercised over two problematic factors - the pressures that extremist forces could exercise in order to ensure that certain cliques seize control over state power; and the game that certain enterprises and capitalist interests could play to acquire a privileged position within the national economy.

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GAZA

Nothing more can be said about what is going on in Gaza that hasn't already been said by those who condemn as well as by those who approve.

However atrocious and condemnable as the Hamas attack on Israel of October 2023 truly was, nothing justifies how this country has continued to run its "war" against the people of Gaza. The methods that the Israelis have deployed and continue to deploy in the war are shameful for any state that pretends to be considered part of a civilisation constituted around values which are respectful of human dignity. The point needs to be reiterated, although Western powers are ignoring it in word and practice, not least by continuing to send munitions and arms to Israel.

It's unsurprising that so many in the Arab world and beyond it, have gotten used to considering Europe and the US as apostles of state hypocrisy.

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GAMBLING

In our economy, gambling has become an activity that is considered to be of high prestige. The best salaries, the best careers can be secured in an industry that organizes betting as much as possible everywhere and for everybody by means of the internet. The sector was set up by a Nationalist administration. Not only was it uncontested by anybody; if anyone tried to do so, that came to be seen as an attempt to cause damage to the country.

I cannot cease to wonder how those among us who condemn the project by which the government is "selling" Maltese passports never said anything about how over the years, we embarked on a strategy by which we have been attracting to our shores gambling enterprises. It's as if they couldn't care less about the signficant reputational risk that this incurred for the country, given the importance we have allowed (and wanted) the sector to assume.

True, vested interests plus other established and varied interests are doing financially very well from the gambling industry... But that doesn't seem to matter!