An interesting article published in Al Ghad newspaper two days ago reminded me of national songs we used to sing at the school assembly every morning. The writer contemplates patriotism, and its extreme manifestation in the Arab world, giving accurate examples that no Arab reader can deny. The writer raises questions about the deep love affai r an Arab citizen has with his country, contrasting this unconditional love he or she has to offer with that of a citizen from a developed country. The writer's embarrassment with this exaggerated emotion perhaps drove him to declare that the nation is an unnecessary term for developed countries as it is one nostalgic term, used only when the country is threatened. Unlike the case of an Arab country, no one in Sweden would be shouting patriotic slogans in a demonstration. The writer stressed the need to redefine the concept of a "nation" in the Arab world, in a less romantic form, where inst...