The Narcissism of Nationalism is spreading

Much is being made, globally, of the rise once again of nationalism after a lull following the end of the Cold War.  "America First" is a cry being echoed, in altered form of course, in England, France, Germany, and a host of other countries.  The sense that we're in this together is being challenged by the cry of every man for himself.  An example of this tendency in action is the ongoing controversy in Gdansk, Poland regarding the WWII museum set to open next month.  This museum was designed years ago to focus upon the civilian suffering, worldwide, that WWII caused.  Nationalist Polish politicians, however, want this global focus scrapped in favor of a museum that focuses on the heroics of the Polish army and resistance.  Instead of a museum that reveals the horrors of nationalist wars, they would have a museum that glories in the futile effort of the Poles to withstand the Nazis and Soviets at the same time.  The second museum isn't a bad idea, per se, the story of what happened in Poland during WWII, to Jews and Poles alike, needs to be told, but the rationale behind the animosity toward the original idea is a telling example of why nationalism can never be compatible with Christianity.  The foundation of nationalism is the belief that our people are worth more than their people.  It is a clear "us" vs. "them" mentality that ultimately devalues the lives of people living beyond our borders.  Those wanting to change the museum in Gdansk believe that Polish lives today, and the tragedy of lost Polish lives in WWII, carry more value than those of people elsewhere.  The ideology of the Nazis is simply this idea taken to its extreme form.
The Christian must reject the claim of nationalism that his life, or the life of people like him, have a greater value than those of a person who happened to be born elsewhere.  Paul makes the Christian ideal of equality clear in Galatians 3:28 when he writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all on in Christ Jesus."  Our ancestors failed to heed this command in the word of God, and willingly marched off to war, generation after generation, to seek national aggrandizement at the expense of their neighbors.  Humanity ought to have learned the horror of going down this road before, WWI and WWII should have been enough of a lesson, but humanity doesn't change, and one generation's call to "never forget" fades into the background as demagogues of a new generation seek power through nationalist grievances.  It may be inevitable that nationalist forces claim supremacy for "us" over "them", but Christians, those who take seriously the Word of God, must reject this call, always.