Nationalism is the political philosophy where the national government is the dominant political entity. Under nationalism the individuals derives their identity and collective memory from the nation.

The national government becomes the pinnacle of that identity and from that political grouping flows the nurturement and sustenance to maintain the national culture.

Nationalism views citizenship as a privilege, not a right. Other more individualistic forms of political philosophy such as liberalism, libertarianism and republicanism, view the individual as dominating over the government. Consequently citizenship becomes a individual or natural right in these philosophies.

The nationalist philosophy often uses citizenship as a club, to keep individuals in line, and to eject those that defy or oppose the national government. Sedition laws are a good example of nationalist thinking.

The world-view of nationalism also enables entrenched arbitrary government. For instance, an individual who is accused by the state of terrorism or sedition - a crime against the state - will have their rights stripped. The case of Jose Padilla in the United States follows this pattern.

Those not of the nation, or not citizens can also have any political rights ignored. In fact in the nationalist thinking, unless those individuals are a subsumed component of the nation - often through the citizenship process - then they have no political rights.

An example of this in Australia is who the national government dealt with refugees. Due to the discriminate nature of nationalist government, it enables and promotes the government paradigm of executive decree.

Nationalism is an inequitable political philosophy which is hostile to universal individual political rights.