Groups of people working to advance the interests of their nation, country, or would-be country is known as nationalism. Often, nationalism is invoked by groups pushing for independence, especially when they are ruled by perceived outsiders. But nationalism doesn’t always mean being pro-independence. It can also entail people promoting their culture, asserting their religious beliefs, or organizing for greater political power. In certain contexts, nationalism can serve as a basis of unity, inclusion, and social cohesion for a country. But when taken to extremes, nationalism can fuel violence, division, and global disorder.

The sprawling southeast Asian archipelago has around six thousand inhabited islands. It’s the world’s fourth most populous country, with more than 260 million citizens who speak over seven hundred languages and practice a half dozen official religions. Its existence today as one country is the result of three centuries of colonization, during which mostly European empires drew borders with little regard for any national, economic, or internal political criteria.

So how has Indonesia stuck together since gaining independence, and what does it now mean to be Indonesian? Rather than build a national identity based on geography, language, religion, or ethnicity, Indonesia’s founding father, Sukarno, forged one through ideas. In 1945, just weeks before his country achieved independence, Sukarno laid out a vision known as Pancasila—meaning Five Principles—for an Indonesian identity. This philosophy was intended to unite the diverse and soon-to-be independent country. An iteration of Sukarno’s Pancasila would ultimately appear in the preamble of the country’s constitution. To be Indonesian meant adhering to the following:

- belief in the One and Only God

-just and civilized humanity

-the unity of Indonesia

-democratic rule that is guided by the strength of wisdom resulting from deliberation/representation

-social justice for all the people of Indonesia

Extreme nationalism is illiberal and intolerant and doesn’t accept those outside thenarrowly defined nation as equal. This “us versus them” mentality, often rooted in ideas of racial and national superiority, can lead to dangerous and violent ends. What are some instances in which nationalism fuels conflict and global disorder? Extreme nationalism (hyper-patriotism): Aggressively advancing one country’s or nation’s interests can have consequences that reverberate around the world. Such strident nationalism precipitated World War I. Shortly thereafter, the world witnessed perhaps the most dramatic example of extreme nationalism fueling global disorder: Nazi Germany. There, a belief in Aryan (essentially white Germanic) racial superiority—a manifestation of what is known as ethnocentric nationalism— led to World War II. It unleashed the deadliest conflict in human history, which included horrific campaigns of identity-based violence such as the Holocaust, the systematic killing of over six million Jews by the Nazi government.

At the end of World War II, countries sought ways to ensure the world would never again break down into such horrific conflict. Leaders created new global institutions—including the United Nations, The World Bank, and International Monetary Fund—that formed the backbone of what is called the liberal world order. For decades, this liberal world order has tried to guard against the most violent impulses of nationalism by creating forums for international cooperation designed to promote collective security and economic growth. And while certainly not always successful, it has contributed to a largely peaceful and prosperous era for many.

But around the world, nationalism is on the rise again, often along with populism—the movement when large groups of people believe the ruling elites are not addressing their concerns, raising up new leaders who claim to represent “the people,” alongside efforts to oust existing elites.