What is nationalism? What is it not?

Nationalism is neither seeing one's own nation as superior to other nations nor viewing other nations as enemies of one's own. Nationalism is, first and foremost, loving, defending, and striving to elevate one's own nation. It is opposing the exploitation of one's nation and homeland. It is taking ownership of one's country's air and water, its mountains and stones, its wildlife. Therefore, nationalism is not only a theoretical, conceptual, historical, political, social, intellectual, economic, class-based, and cultural dimension, but also a very powerful emotion and a very strong bond between people. 

To belittle, ignore, or despise these simple and concrete truths about nationalism in the name of appearing intellectual, democratic, liberal, communist, or Islamist is proof of a lack of knowledge of history and politics. Another proof of ignorance on these subjects is to treat all forms of nationalism as one and the same, to assume they are identical. It is to think that every form of nationalism is racist, chauvinistic, and expansionist. 

It is wrong to put the anti-imperialist nationalism of an oppressed nation, third-world nationalism, or the revolutionary nationalism of a poor people defending their homeland in the same category as the nationalism of developed, capitalist, imperialist countries, and to label them all as racist, expansionist, chauvinistic, and fascist nationalisms.  

It is so wrong that it means equating third-world, progressive African nationalists who fought against colonialism, imperialism, and racism—such as Patrice Lumumba (Congo), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), and Steve Biko (Republic of South Africa)—with the occupying powers on the continent like France, Belgium, and the Netherlands; it means seeing them as the same as the colonialism and imperialism of the Western, white, Christian man.  

It is so wrong that it means equating the Turkish peasant and laborer defending their homeland against the British, French, and Italian forces occupying Anatolia, and the Greek armies under British influence, with those very forces. 

It is so wrong that it means equating the imperialism, barbarism, and plunder of the US—which has bloodied, occupied, exploited the resources of, and massacred the people of Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya—with the Korean, Vietnamese, Afghan, Iraqi, and Syrian people who defended their homelands against the US. 

It is so wrong that it means equating the German fascist leader Hitler with Egypt's legendary leader Gamal Abdel Nasser by saying, "both of them were nationalists." 

Putting the attacker and the resistor, the oppressor and the oppressed, the exploiter and the exploited in the same category is an approach that, in the end, objectively and factually serves imperialism. It does not align with reason, logic, or science, nor does it align with conscience. 

Atatürk's nationalism, the Turkish nationalism as understood by Atatürk, is a nationalism based on political consciousness. It is not based on race, ethnic origin, religion, sect, or place of birth. This nationalism is directly related to and bound by Atatürk's definition of the nation. This definition, made by our great leader with the words, "The people of Turkey who founded the Republic of Turkey are called the Turkish Nation," is a definition that unites the nation in the founding of the Republic. It is a subjective definition of nationalism. 

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk also expressed that Turkish nationalism is not racist, chauvinistic, or expansionist, but on the contrary, is a peaceful, embracing, and inclusive nationalism that advocates for equal relations and mutual respect among the nations of the world with these words: 

"Turkish nationalism is to walk in parallel and in balance with all contemporary nations in the path of progress and development, in international contacts and relations, while preserving the special characteristics and the independent identity of the Turkish society."