UN chief sees ‘parallels’ with 1930s amid nationalism warnings

The UN chief has said the world today has several of the ingredients that led to the failure of the peace that followed World War I, in comments marking the 100th anniversary of the end of that conflict, as the leaders of France and Germany warned about the dangers of nationalism.

Without referring to Donald Trump by name, all three of them on Sunday railed against the US president’s world view and the dangers of disregarding international norms as they spoke at the start of the Paris Peace Forum in the French capital.

“As I see it, several elements today have many parallels with both the start of the 20th century and the 1930s, giving us grounds to fear that an unpredictable chain of events could ensue,” Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, said.

As we mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, may we draw from its lessons and strengthen international cooperation to face the tests and threats of today and tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/ldrnHSNGuW

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 11, 2018

For her part, Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, expressed her “concern” that “blinkered nationalist views may gain ground once again”.

Merkel warned that the benefits of international cooperation, “the peaceful balancing of interests, even the European peace project – people are calling them into question again.”

Her comments came shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron made similar remarks, seemingly aimed at Trump who in a recent speech called himself a nationalist.

During his 20-minute speech, Macron called nationalism “the exact opposite” of the patriotism shown by soldiers.

“Nationalism is a betrayal,” he said.

“By saying our interests come first and others don’t matter we are erasing what makes a nation precious, what makes it live, what makes it great and most importantly of all, its moral values,” he told those in attendance, which included Trump among others.

“Let us build our hopes rather than playing our fears against each other.” 

Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By putting our own interests first, with no regard for others, we erase the very thing that a nation holds dearest, and the thing that keeps it alive: its moral values. https://t.co/w9AltyvMDw

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 11, 2018

Old demons are rising again. New ideologies are manipulating religions, and history is threatening to repeat its tragedies. Let us vow once more as nations to ensure peace is the utmost priority, above all else, because we know what it cost. https://t.co/skJ6K5SDO1

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 11, 2018

The French president also called on his fellow leaders to not forget the lessons of the past.

“Ruining this hope with a fascination for isolation, violence or domination would be a mistake for which future generations would rightly find us responsible,” Macron said.

In a speech at the Suresnes military cemetery in the western Paris suburb, Trump paid tribute to US soldiers who took part in World War I.

The US president said he and other officials were “gathered at this hallowed resting place to pay tribute to brave Americans” who died a century ago, as well as to the French troops with whom they fought.

Centenary

Sunday’s speeches were part of a string of events to commemorate the signing of an armistice on November 11, 1918, to end World War I.

That conflict erupted in 1914 after a teenage Bosnian Serb assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, igniting a conflict that was contemporaneously described as “the war to end all wars”.

In the four years of fighting, remembered for brutal trench warfare and the first large-scale use of gas as a weapon, France, British, Russia and the US had the main opposed a German-led coalition that also included the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires.

More than 70 million military personnel were mobilised and an estimated 10 million lost their lives.

“The armistice treaty marked a victory for allied powers and a defeat for German forces, but the commemoration hasn’t been about national triumph; it’s been about reconciliation,” Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said.

“The ceremony brought together presidents and politicians who are often at odds with each other, a moment for them to reflect on and remember a conflict that ravaged continents, cut short lives and tore families apart,” she added.