Nationalist sentiment is also increasing.

We had all become good Europeans, and nationalism was for racists.

Those on the left also shared a deep aversion to nationalism, born of two disastrous European wars.

Nationalism continues to produce powerful political antibodies to American and European meddling in other countries internal affairs.

Nationalist feelings, deliberately stirred up in China, Korea, and Japan, are linked to recent history, to be sure, but the politics behind them is different in each country.

Presumably, Putin hopes to whip up nationalist sentiment to strengthen his weakened hold on power at home.

But the resurgence of nationalism in Japan is only fanning Chinese nationalism, creating a vicious circle from which the two countries are finding it difficult to escape.

A century later, in 2007 2008, the world experienced an even greater financial shock, and nationalistic passions have flared up in its wake.

Tolerance, European unity, distrust of nationalism, and vigilance against racism are laudable goals.

After World War II, for obvious reasons, the expression of nationalist emotions was virtually taboo in Europe (not least in Germany).

In the mid 1990 s, before becoming the governing party, it pandered openly to nationalist and populist sentiment in order to win votes.

Given the strength of national feeling in these contests, it is not surprising that people like to project national characteristics onto the style of play.

Despite rising nationalist sentiments and mutual suspicions, Central and Eastern European countries also managed to avoid conflict, thanks to their rapid acceptance into NATO and the European Union.

Caught by surprise in Tibet, and by the virulence and popularity of what they described as anti Chinese sentiments, China s rulers have resorted to the traditional tools of authoritarian regimes, turning their citizens deep nationalism and sense of humiliation against Western critics.

All of this is fueling nationalist sentiment in China and South Korea, and making even more dangerous the already volatile territorial disputes in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan.

America s military pivot to Asia has left Chinese sensitivities a little raw, and nationalist sentiment is more difficult to contain in a period of leadership transition.

After a century slowly fomenting among Chinese intellectuals, national sentiment has captured and redefined the consciousness of the Chinese people during the last two decades of China s economic boom.

If China responds to entreaties to revalue the yuan, it may need to look tough on other issues to appease nationalist sentiment.

In the 2002 elections, Morales received an unexpected boost from the US ambassador, who, by declaring himself against Morales, stirred up nationalist sentiment.

China is now also motivated by nationalism, and it will rise as high as a motivated population of 1.3 billion people can.

Thus, Morales s leadership brought together three strongly symbolic dimensions nationalist sentiment, concern for the poor, and emerging ethnic pride among Bolivia s native peoples.

Expressions of nationalism in postwar European democracies were always tolerated in soccer stadiums, not in public life.

For 50 years, the European Union was not much tested by this mission because nationalist impulses were crushed between the two great Cold War alliances.

They had underestimated the strength of German national feeling in the East. And they grossly overestimated the Soviet Union s ability and will to keep its empire at all costs.

Though nationalist sentiment directed against external foes tends to divert attention temporarily from internal turmoil, the country s serious domestic problems need to be addressed.

After almost 70 years of peace, Europeans seem to have forgotten why unity was so important, indulging nationalist sentiment without regard for its potential consequences.

Of course, economic interdependence has deepened over the past three decades, but nationalism remains a convenient tool for political mobilization and of manipulation for domestic and diplomatic purposes.

Since the 1990 s, therefore, nationalism has replaced Communism as the justification for the one party state, which requires stirring up anti Western above all, anti Japanese sentiment.

And yet, even as nationalistic emotions were suppressed in polite society all over Europe, the soccer stadiums remained stubbornly in the pre WWII world.

The risks posed by increasing nationalism and militarism to regional peace have already been highlighted by the rise of a new Chinese dynasty of princelings, or sons of revolutionary heroes who have widespread contacts in the military.

Structural reform cannot wait. Nationalism should be channeled toward securing public support for deep economic and social reforms.

But Obama will have to define a clearer US policy, addressing China s rapid rise under an authoritarian regime that aggressively pursues border claims and whips up nationalism at home.

Such mixed signals have further inflamed nationalist sentiments in China, and anti Japanese demonstrations have broken out in many Chinese cities, including an attack on the Japanese ambassador s official vehicle.

The Asian Football Cup highlighted not only China's growing nationalism, but also the parlous state of relations with Japan.

This year, confronted with a revival of nationalist sentiment, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa the leader of the anti communist Solidarity movement suggested that his country should enter into political union with Germany.

But it is just possible that unilateral Israeli policy, implicitly backed by the US, will create interim conditions of peace that are sufficient for economic growth to cool Palestinian nationalism.

Indeed, the nuclear issue has served to rationalize the face off, with Iran s leaders playing to their domestic audience by whipping up nuclear nationalism and the US playing to the international audience by harping on the proliferation threat.

The rest of the vote is split many ways unless a political force emerges to cut right through the old party structures by arousing popular nationalist or socialist sentiments, or a combination of the two.

Such a courageous and forward looking demonstration of Serbia s willingness to swap land for peace would arouse nationalist sentiment at home, but it would put enormous pressure on Kosovo to offer its own concessions.

A strong European voice, such as Nicolas Sarkozy s during the French presidency of the EU, may make a difference, but only for six months, and at the cost of reinforcing other European countries nationalist feelings in reaction to the expression of Gallic pride.

For others, exasperated by football and the emotions it stirs up, the sport is no longer a game, but a type of war that stokes the basest sort of nationalist emotions.

Nationalism and Terrorism

Gradations of intensity means what it sounds like.

Passions abound.

Similar sentiments are apparent elsewhere in the region.