The Green Book: Part Three
Chapter Four
THE NATION
The nation is the individual's nation-
al political 'umbrella' and it is wider
than the social 'umbrella' provided by
the tribe to its members. Tribalism
damages nationalism because tribal
allegiance weakens national loyalty
and flourishes at its expense. In the
same way loyalty to the family
flourishes at the expense of tribal
loyalty and weakens it. National fana-
ticism is essential to the nation but at
the same time it is a threat to hu-
manity.
The nation in the world community is
similar to the family in the tribe. The
more the families of one tribe quarrel
and become fanatic, the more the tribe
is threatened. Equally if the members
of one family quarrel and each of them
seeks only his personal interests, the
family is threatened, and if the tribes
of a nation quarrel and seek their own
interests, that nation is threatened.
National fanaticism, the use of nation-
al force against weak nations, or the
national progress which is the outcome
[18]
of plundering from other nations, are
evil and harmful to humanity. Howev-
er, the powerful individual who re-
spects himself and is aware of his own
responsibilities is important and useful
to the family, just as a strong respect-
able family, which is aware of its
importance, is socially and materially
useful to the tribe. Equally useful to
the whole world is the progressive,
productive and civilized nation. The
national political structure is damaged
when it descends to the lower social
level, namely the family and tribe, and
attempts to act in their manner and to
adopt their views.
The nation is a large family which
has passed through the stage of the
tribe and also through the ramifica-
tions of the tribes that have branched
out of one origin; it includes as well
those members who affiliated them-
selves with its destiny. The family,
likewise, grows into a nation only after
passing through the stages of the tribe
and its ramifications, as well as
through the stage of affiliation which
comes about as a result of various
types of a social mixture. Inevitably
[19]
this is achieved over long periods of
time. Although the passage of time
creates nations, it also helps to frag-
ment old ones. However, the common
origin and shared destiny through affi-
liation are two historic bases for any
nation, though origin ranks first and
affiliation second. A nation is not de-
fined only by origin, even though origin
is its basis and beginning. In addition
to that a nation is formed by human
accumulations through the course of
history which induce a group of people
to live in one area of land, make a
common history, form one heritage
and face the same destiny. Finally, the
nation, regardless of blood bond, is the
sense of belonging and a common des-
tiny.
But why has the map of the earth
witnessed great nations that dis-
appeared to be replaced by other na-
tions and vice versa? Is the reason
political only, without any relationship
to the social aspect of the Third Uni-
versal Theory? Or is it social and
properly the concern of this part of the
Green Book? Let us see: The family is
indisputably a social structure, rather
[20]
than political. The same applies to the
tribe because it is a family which has
reproduced, procreated and become
many families. Equally the nation is a
tribe, after it has grown and its bran-
ches have multiplied and become
transformed into clans, then into
tribes.
The nation is also a social structure
whose bond is nationalism, the tribe is
a social structure whose bond is tribal-
ism, the family is a social structure
whose bond is family ties; and the
nations of the world are social struc-
tures whose bond is humanity. These
are self evident facts. Then there is the
political structure of states which form
the political map of the world. But why
does the map of the world keep chang-
ing from one age to another? The
reason is that the political structure
may, or may not, be consistent with the
social structure. When it is consistent
in a nation, it lasts and does not
change. If the change is forced by
external colonialism or internal col-
lapse, it reappears under the emblem
of national struggle, national revival
or national unity. When the political
[21]
structure embraces more than one na-
tion, its map will be torn up by each
nation gaining independence under the
emblem of nationalism. Thus, the
maps of the empires, which the world
has witnessed, have been torn up be-
cause they were made up of a number
of nations. When every nation clings
fanatically to its nationalism and seeks
independence, the political empire is
torn up and its components go back to
their social origins. The evidence is
crystal clear in the history of the world
if we review all its ages.
But why were those empires made
up of different nations? The answer is
that the state is not only a social
structure like the family, the tribe and
the nation, but rather a political entity
created by several factors, the sim-
plest and foremost of which is national-
ism. The national state is the only
political form which is consistent with
the natural social structure. Its exist-
ence lasts, unless it becomes subject to
the tyranny of another stronger nation-
alism, or unless its political structure,
as a state, is affected by its social
[22]
structure in the form of tribes, clans
and families. It is damaging to the
political structure if it is subjected to
the family, tribal, or sectarian social
structure and adopts its characteris-
tics.
However, religious, economic and
military factors also contribute to
form a state which differs from the
simple state, the national state.
A common religion, the require-
ments of economics or military con-
quests may constitute a state embrac-
ing several nationalisms. Thus, in one
age the world witnesses a state or an
empire which it sees disappear in
another age. When the spirit of nation-
alism emerges stronger than the reli-
gious spirit and conflict flares up be-
tween different nationalisms which
were brought together, for example,
by one religion, each nation becomes
independent and recovers its social
structure. That empire, then, dis-
appears. The role of religion reappears
when the religious spirit emerges
stronger than the spirit of nationalism.
Consequently the various nationalisms
are unified under the banner of religion
[23]
until the national role appears once
again and so on.
All the states which are composed of
several nationalisms for various
reasons -- whether of religious, econo-
mics, military power or of man-made
ideologies -- will be torn up by the
national conflict until each nationalism
is independent, i.e. the social factor
will inevitably triumph over the poli-
tical factor.
Therefore, despite political factors
which necessitate the establishment
of the state, the basis for the life of
individuals is the family, the tribe,
then the nation, extending eventually
to all humanity. The essential factor is
the social factor. It is the permanent
factor, namely nationalism. Stress
should be laid on social reality and
family care in order to bring up the
integrated well-educated man. Care
should then be given to the tribe as a
social 'umbrella' and natural social
school which brings up man at the
post-family stage. Then comes the na-
tion. The individual learns social
values only from the family and the
tribe which form a natural social struc-
[24]
ture engineered by no particular indi-
vidual. Taking care of the family is for
the sake of the individual just as the
care of the tribe is in the interest of the
family, the individual and the nation,
i.e. nationalism. The social factor,
namely the national factor, is the
genuine and permanent driving force
of history.
To disregard the national bond of
human groups and to establish a poli-
tical system contradictory to social
reality sets up a temporary structure
which will be destroyed by the move-
ment of the social factor of those
groups, i.e. the national movement of
each nation.
All these realities are innate in the
life of man and are not rational con-
junctures. Every individual in the
world should be aware of these reali-
ties and work accordingly, so that his
action may be worthwhile. It is neces-
sary to know these proven realities in
order to avoid deviation, disorder and
damage in the life of human groups
which are the result of a lack of under-
standing and respect for these princi-
ples of human life.
[25]
Chapter Five Table of Contents