Trump and Putin love to talk about their nations and countries—but ironically, they don’t seem to understand what those words truly mean. At their core, nationalism and patriotism are about people, identity, and the will to self-govern. And both men—imperialists at heart—completely miss the point.
Both see themselves as destined to expand their realms. Putin dreams of resurrecting the Soviet empire, reclaiming not just the 14 non-Russian republics but also as much of Eastern Europe as possible. Trump, meanwhile, has floated the idea of annexing Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even Gaza.
Putin’s belief is that Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, and Ukraine are essentially his for the taking—especially because, in his view, Belarusians and Ukrainians are just Russians by another name. Moldova and Georgia? Too small to matter. Trump’s logic follows the same pattern. To him, Canadians are really Americans, and places like Greenland, Denmark, Panama, and Gaza are just too weak to resist U.S. power.
But empire-building in the 21st century isn’t easy. Putin expected Ukraine and Belarus to fall in line with minimal resistance. Instead, Ukraine has fiercely defended its sovereignty, turning what Putin thought would be a quick conquest into a prolonged, devastating war. Even Belarus, under the shrewd leadership of Lukashenko, has managed to keep Putin at arm’s length.
Trump appears to harbor similar fantasies of easy conquest. Like Putin, he’s likely to be stunned by the backlash. In Canada and Greenland especially, people have responded not with fear but with fierce love for their nations. They’ve rallied around their flags, ready to defend their sovereignty. They, too, are nationalists and patriots now.
Putin and Trump simply don’t grasp that nationalism is not about domination; it’s about belonging. It’s about the desire for self-determination—a defining feature of the modern world since the American and French Revolutions. The concept of “nation” has ancient roots—think of the Israelites. And the love of “country” dates back at least to the Roman notion of patria and the Biblical Promised Land.
Today’s world is made up of nations that want to govern themselves, and countries that inspire devotion from their people. Nationalism and patriotism are not just abstract ideas—they’re emotional powerhouses. And they’re everywhere.
That’s why imperialism, in its traditional form, is doomed in our era. Putin and Trump’s dismissive view—that resistance is just a temporary inconvenience—belongs to the 19th century. But in today’s interconnected, informed, and technologically advanced world, resistance is easier than ever. People are educated, connected, and aware of their collective strength.
From drones on the battlefield to viral videos online, the tools of resistance have multiplied. And most of these movements aren’t fringe uprisings—they’re deeply rooted in local cultures, with widespread support. You can destroy cities, displace populations, even resort to repression, but you can’t snuff out a national spirit.
That’s why the age of empires ended in the 20th century. And that’s why it won’t be reborn in the 21st—no matter how loudly Trump and Putin try to bring it back.
In the end, they’ll learn the same hard lesson as the imperial powers before them: You can kill the patriots, but you can’t kill patriotism. Nationalism and the love of country will outlast them—and bury their imperial ambitions for good.
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