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The Responsible Globalist: What Citizens of the World Can Learn from Nationalism
Today, globalism has a bad reputation. 'Citizens of the world' are depicted as recklessly uninterested in how international economic forces can affect local communities. Meanwhile, nationalists are often derided as racists and bigots. But what if the two were not so far apart? What could globalists learn from the powerful sense of belonging that nationalism has created? Faced with the injustices of the world's economic and political system, what should a responsible globalist do? British-Iraqi development expert Hassan Damluji proposes six principles - from changing how we think about mobility to shutting down tax havens - which can help build consensus for a stronger globalist identity. He demonstrates that globalism is not limited to 'Davos man' but is a truly mass phenomenon that is growing fastest in emerging countries. Rather than a 'nowhere' identity, it is a new group solidarity that sits alongside other allegiances. With a wealth of examples from the United States to India, China and the Middle East, The Responsible Globalist offers a boldly optimistic and pragmatic blueprint for building an inclusive, global nation. This will be a century-long project, where success is not guaranteed. But unless we can reimagine humanity as a single national community, Damluji warns, the gravest threats we
face will not be defeated.
face will not be defeated.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
208 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2019
15 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 2, 2020
This short and well balanced book pointed out the urgent need for globalists to ‘learn’ from Nationalism. How times have changed. Only a few years ago the globalists were still lecturing nationalists how xenophobic, racist and stupid they were (since globalisation inverses GDP and is good for the country etc).
Damluji pointed out that for all the discussion about the flattened globalised world, only 3% of the world population actually migrated, and multinationals still do most of their business in the country of origin. I have to add that visas are still needed for a lot of people even when they want to just tour another country. So how to be a ‘responsible’ globalist?
1. Leave No One Out
Problem: the West can say praise a country to be ‘westernised’ but those same countries can never really become part of the West. Also, the rich world wants poor countries to get richer but not to catch up with them(!)
Solution: stress in the commonality of all humanity.
2. Define the Mission and the Enemy
Problem: global goals of eradicating poverty, gender equality and protecting the environment are well accepted, but implementation is poor.
Solution: tax wealth over $1 million at 0.25% or 0.5% depending on the part of this book. Voting at the UN will be weighted depending on money contributed. Have a central authority that can enforce rules of climate protection. No solution for the gender equality agenda, because it is like the rich country telling poor country how to behave...
Frame the Enemy of climate change as a mascot so people can start reacting to it.
3. Defend the Nation State
Problem: globalists kept saying that the nation state is dead.
Solution: support strong nation states.
4. If you love mobility, let it go.
Problem: open borders cause disruption of communities. The poorly educated suffers most. Free flow of hot money disrupts economies.
Solution: defend the Nation State’s right to control its borders. Encourage assimilation.
5. The Winners must pay to play
Problem: the rich gained enormously from globalisation but store their wealth in tax havens.
Solution: a global wealth list. Tax wealth. Cut tax havens off from global bank system.
6. The Rules based system need better rules
Problem: Many problems with the UN
Solution: Reform the UN. Weighted voting rights depending on financial contribution. Reform the security council, have a representative from each region on a rotational basis. Remove veto rights, but allow voting on important decisions, making supermajority the criteria. Respect differences, including non-democracies because a bad government is better than no government. This last point is personal as the author’s Iraqi relatives all realized Saddam Hussein was bad, but without him life is worse.
I enjoy this book very much but I think the proposals about a more powerful UN is unrealistic. Trump has already pulled out from many global agreements and has refused to appoint UN judges. America also unilaterally invaded Iraq and what can other countries do really? Meanwhile, nationalists are winning everywhere and I think we will have a retreat from globalisation for some time to come.
Damluji pointed out that for all the discussion about the flattened globalised world, only 3% of the world population actually migrated, and multinationals still do most of their business in the country of origin. I have to add that visas are still needed for a lot of people even when they want to just tour another country. So how to be a ‘responsible’ globalist?
1. Leave No One Out
Problem: the West can say praise a country to be ‘westernised’ but those same countries can never really become part of the West. Also, the rich world wants poor countries to get richer but not to catch up with them(!)
Solution: stress in the commonality of all humanity.
2. Define the Mission and the Enemy
Problem: global goals of eradicating poverty, gender equality and protecting the environment are well accepted, but implementation is poor.
Solution: tax wealth over $1 million at 0.25% or 0.5% depending on the part of this book. Voting at the UN will be weighted depending on money contributed. Have a central authority that can enforce rules of climate protection. No solution for the gender equality agenda, because it is like the rich country telling poor country how to behave...
Frame the Enemy of climate change as a mascot so people can start reacting to it.
3. Defend the Nation State
Problem: globalists kept saying that the nation state is dead.
Solution: support strong nation states.
4. If you love mobility, let it go.
Problem: open borders cause disruption of communities. The poorly educated suffers most. Free flow of hot money disrupts economies.
Solution: defend the Nation State’s right to control its borders. Encourage assimilation.
5. The Winners must pay to play
Problem: the rich gained enormously from globalisation but store their wealth in tax havens.
Solution: a global wealth list. Tax wealth. Cut tax havens off from global bank system.
6. The Rules based system need better rules
Problem: Many problems with the UN
Solution: Reform the UN. Weighted voting rights depending on financial contribution. Reform the security council, have a representative from each region on a rotational basis. Remove veto rights, but allow voting on important decisions, making supermajority the criteria. Respect differences, including non-democracies because a bad government is better than no government. This last point is personal as the author’s Iraqi relatives all realized Saddam Hussein was bad, but without him life is worse.
I enjoy this book very much but I think the proposals about a more powerful UN is unrealistic. Trump has already pulled out from many global agreements and has refused to appoint UN judges. America also unilaterally invaded Iraq and what can other countries do really? Meanwhile, nationalists are winning everywhere and I think we will have a retreat from globalisation for some time to come.
October 13, 2024
A very original and balanced book on globalism and how the world can together work towards international governance at the very least.
Nationalism, surprisingly, has much fodder for globalism to regain its foothold and build its momentum. A shared mission such as climate change—and monetary contribution in the form of wealth tax to achieve such goals for humankind—can rally people behind the globalist movement, which faces steep backlash for its perceived injustice in recent years.
The various proposals on reengineering the United Nation are also intriguing, however unlikely they will see the light of the day. Like all the attempts to rejig the multilateral agency, these suggestions are unlikely going to pass muster with the major nations, at least in the short term.
Apart from this bit, Damluji’s diagnosis of and solutions to the ailments of globalism makes me hopeful that globalism can survive the backlash it faces these days. 4.5/5
Nationalism, surprisingly, has much fodder for globalism to regain its foothold and build its momentum. A shared mission such as climate change—and monetary contribution in the form of wealth tax to achieve such goals for humankind—can rally people behind the globalist movement, which faces steep backlash for its perceived injustice in recent years.
The various proposals on reengineering the United Nation are also intriguing, however unlikely they will see the light of the day. Like all the attempts to rejig the multilateral agency, these suggestions are unlikely going to pass muster with the major nations, at least in the short term.
Apart from this bit, Damluji’s diagnosis of and solutions to the ailments of globalism makes me hopeful that globalism can survive the backlash it faces these days. 4.5/5
February 24, 2023
"...But if generations of children are brought up with a clear and consistent personification of global threats, from war to climate change, it would stick with them for life. In this way, over a period of generations, it would be possible to reimagine our instinctive hostility to 'the other,' forming a global nation in the face of real, but not human, threats." (p.66; Chapter 2: Define the Mission, and the Enemy)
One day in the hopefully not too distant future, where a global nation and its state are finally formed, humanity will look back at Hasan Damluji's "The Responsible Globalist", as the first step taken toward achieving this mighty, yet necessary goal.
Throughout his book, Damluji takes a no-nonesense approach to how globalization should be carried out. He presents 6 principles to the reader, all in someway making use of the teachings of nationalism, ranging from how to establish the common "myth" of the global nation (a subtle nod to Yuval Noah Harari) to creating a international, progressive tax system that will make millionaires, who have already benefited so much from the globalized economy, finally pay their fair share to maintain and develop the global system. It is with these set of principles that Damluji makes his main case that a global nation is much more plausible than we think. What I most appreciate from this handbook of globalism is that it is actually global and critical in its arguments. Unlike the globalist elites which clutter our news cycles, Damluji rejects the notion that a globalized world must be a "Western" world, allowing in his vision much more autonomy to the humble nation-state. In addition, he makes sure to explicitly caution all globalists from discounting ideological opposition and instead listen, take note, and engage in constructive dialogue. While this is definitely hard to do (mega understatement) with openly racist or xenophobic people, Damluji's point is much, much more nuanced and important. In our current political system - where the aforementioned racist xenophobes make headlines due to their bombastic stupidity - people with real doubts and valid anxieties get pushed into the background or get caught in the crossfire, getting unfairly labeled as those who actually deserve social condemnation. This makes people feel left out and when people are left out they want to get back at those who are in the club, those who take pride in being in the club, and then leaders who advocate for isolationist policies that leave no room for globalization are voted into office. Thus, Damluji says that we must listen to each other, validate valid opinions which might differ from ours, and respect the democratic voice of nations and their people, not make unilateral, hasty decisions to establish a global nation as quickly as possible.
This book is a solid 5/5. Not only does it offer a truly global way of achieving a global nation and state, it is clear-cut, highly readable, and solution-based. It is something that all who have dreamed of a united world should, and must, read.
One day in the hopefully not too distant future, where a global nation and its state are finally formed, humanity will look back at Hasan Damluji's "The Responsible Globalist", as the first step taken toward achieving this mighty, yet necessary goal.
Throughout his book, Damluji takes a no-nonesense approach to how globalization should be carried out. He presents 6 principles to the reader, all in someway making use of the teachings of nationalism, ranging from how to establish the common "myth" of the global nation (a subtle nod to Yuval Noah Harari) to creating a international, progressive tax system that will make millionaires, who have already benefited so much from the globalized economy, finally pay their fair share to maintain and develop the global system. It is with these set of principles that Damluji makes his main case that a global nation is much more plausible than we think. What I most appreciate from this handbook of globalism is that it is actually global and critical in its arguments. Unlike the globalist elites which clutter our news cycles, Damluji rejects the notion that a globalized world must be a "Western" world, allowing in his vision much more autonomy to the humble nation-state. In addition, he makes sure to explicitly caution all globalists from discounting ideological opposition and instead listen, take note, and engage in constructive dialogue. While this is definitely hard to do (mega understatement) with openly racist or xenophobic people, Damluji's point is much, much more nuanced and important. In our current political system - where the aforementioned racist xenophobes make headlines due to their bombastic stupidity - people with real doubts and valid anxieties get pushed into the background or get caught in the crossfire, getting unfairly labeled as those who actually deserve social condemnation. This makes people feel left out and when people are left out they want to get back at those who are in the club, those who take pride in being in the club, and then leaders who advocate for isolationist policies that leave no room for globalization are voted into office. Thus, Damluji says that we must listen to each other, validate valid opinions which might differ from ours, and respect the democratic voice of nations and their people, not make unilateral, hasty decisions to establish a global nation as quickly as possible.
This book is a solid 5/5. Not only does it offer a truly global way of achieving a global nation and state, it is clear-cut, highly readable, and solution-based. It is something that all who have dreamed of a united world should, and must, read.
April 30, 2023
To overcome our greatest challenges, the myth of common nationhood should be extended much further….
To do it we need to rid the global system of its injustices (global inequality, unilateral war waging ect). For example, blatantly unfair tax regimes (tax havens) likened to anger of French before the revolution. The 1% club is not a sustainable model of global progress.
We must not undermine nation states decision making, neither the right of populations to determine the pace of change in the their communities (uncontrolled immigration). This will only cause more resistance to a global perspective.
Solution focussed: Some useful ideas on reform of the UN Security Council and a global tax regime (0.5% supertax on global millionaires, half of proceeds spent on foreign aid budgets).
For migration, we have a duty to offer hospitality to students and those fleeing conflict. In a slight of hand, the victimised ‘other’ must become obstacles to the global goals (climate change, poverty ect) not other nations.
To do it we need to rid the global system of its injustices (global inequality, unilateral war waging ect). For example, blatantly unfair tax regimes (tax havens) likened to anger of French before the revolution. The 1% club is not a sustainable model of global progress.
We must not undermine nation states decision making, neither the right of populations to determine the pace of change in the their communities (uncontrolled immigration). This will only cause more resistance to a global perspective.
Solution focussed: Some useful ideas on reform of the UN Security Council and a global tax regime (0.5% supertax on global millionaires, half of proceeds spent on foreign aid budgets).
For migration, we have a duty to offer hospitality to students and those fleeing conflict. In a slight of hand, the victimised ‘other’ must become obstacles to the global goals (climate change, poverty ect) not other nations.
September 12, 2023
Picked this one up because I was intrigued by the title and I’m glad I did!!! This is an insightful essay about how we can build a strong globalist l identity, a global sense of inclusiveness and group identity based on our shared humanity. For this, Damluji emphasizes the lessons we can borrow from nationalism and argues that identities are not mutually exclusive but can coexist. To achieve the project of a global identity, Damluji argues that 1. inclusiveness of all is necessary, 2. a common mission and enemy have to be defined, 3. the nation State has to be defended, 4. absolute free movement should be the ultimate goal, 5. the richest are to contribute more to the system via targeted taxation, 6. the international system needs better rules which are legitimate and effective. Very insightful, thought-provoking and optimistic. Nothing truly revolutionary but rather a beautiful reminder that a pacific, human globalist identity can be built if we decide to do so without erasing other elements of individuals’ identities. Gr8 tings!!!
November 14, 2019
While many books offer historical accounts of how the world came to be or criticize its injustices, This book is an action oriented approach that seeks an implementable solution to world’s largest problems, namely: climate change, immigration and wealth inequality.
Naturally, volumes could be written on each of the aforementioned topics, but Hassan managed to strike a perfect balance between necessary context setting, exploration of alternatives and a sufficiently detailed solution that connects all of these problems in one thread - that is the enforcement of global governance in a way that ensures effective action.
All in a fact based, beautifully written, witty language that makes very interesting connections across history and geography.
This, must read, book is timely and I wish it gets the readership it deserves.
Naturally, volumes could be written on each of the aforementioned topics, but Hassan managed to strike a perfect balance between necessary context setting, exploration of alternatives and a sufficiently detailed solution that connects all of these problems in one thread - that is the enforcement of global governance in a way that ensures effective action.
All in a fact based, beautifully written, witty language that makes very interesting connections across history and geography.
This, must read, book is timely and I wish it gets the readership it deserves.
December 11, 2021
Hassan Damluji is leader of the Middle East team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and co-founder of the multilateral development fund $2 Billion Lives and Livelihoods. This book has some interesting ideas and sets out 6 principles to establish a “global national sentiment” that draw on ideas that make nationalism popular but leans into the fears of immigration and takes at face value the calls from billionaires to pay higher taxes.
July 13, 2025
in my opinion the book has noticeable insights especially throughout history and its implications which can be correlated to game theory in economics ( a fav course of mine) overall a rlly good book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews