The overarching issue shaping so much of our public debate is the intense, often unsettled relationship between the realities of a globalized economy and the pull of a national identity. The latter force was so great, it fueled Britain’s exit from the larger European identity.

In our case, the tension between these two forces led to Donald Trump’s election, but it also produced frustration with migration into the country. Immigration, after all, is a central element in the flow of goods, capital and labor across borders that define globalization.

But is it possible to defuse this tension through understanding that you can be both a globalist and a nationalist, through knowing the global economy doesn’t undermine being a proud American?

Part of the answer lies in how you define nationalism.

I am not talking about a nationalism that attempts to define some people as more or less American than others. Nor is it a nationalism that closes the doors to the world. That kind of nationalist identity sees the world in exclusionary terms and often descends into tribalism, which has an ugly track record around the world.

The national pride I am talking about is rooted in a love of place and is a hopeful, optimistic force that is compatible with being part of a larger world. I am proud that America has defined itself by a set of democratic values that include freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of the press. We should stand up for those freedoms and explain their virtues, much like a bipartisan tradition once did.

What’s more, we should relish that our democracy is shaped by a belief in the priesthood of all believers. That belief is not always translated successfully into our daily lives. But, constitutionally, we all are equal as Americans.

What’s more, we have defined ourselves as a welcoming society, one that has opened itself to the world, not shunned other people and their countries. I, for one, am glad for those embracing arms. My Scottish ancestors found opportunity here. As a result, so have I.

This doesn’t mean a great power should neglect its borders or simply open itself to every comer. We need immigration policies that respect our national sovereignty and yet embody our tradition of being a beacon for the hopeless around the world.

The national pride I’m talking about is consistent with appreciating the interconnectedness of the world. In fact, it realizes how those connections help America. For one thing, we can sell our goods and products in markets abroad. And, conversely, we benefit from cars and clothing that are more affordable thanks to being at least partially made outside the US.

True, some Americans feel like they have ended up on the short end of globalization. I will address some future columns to how we can help more Americans enter the middle class. Still, the reality is globalism has its benefits.

And in the US, at least, globalism doesn’t mean a neutering of strong local governments. The European Union was founded to call the shots in member countries in a way that seemed to limit local authority. Not so here. What happens in the Texas Capitol and at Dallas’ City Hall has considerable sway over our futures.

In fact, the power of localism, where communities try to revitalize themselves, is one reason to take pride in the American identity. Alexis de Tocqueville famously noted the unusual role of small American communities in the 1800s. We have grown since then, but we still have rejuvenating communities.

Similarly, local companies are connecting across borders in entrepreneurial ways that often go unnoticed. One firm I reported on recently for a Bush Institute essay has about 10 employees in downtown Dallas and 60 in Aquascalientes, Mexico. Led by an entrepreneur born in Mexico and educated in the US, the employees work across borders in designing and selling software to organizations throughout the US.

This is how globalism and localism meet up. There even is a term for it: glocalism.

Sure, globalization is a complicated force. But you can embrace it and remain a true, blue American, right down to drawing strength from our local ways and institutions.

Globalism and nationalism need not be seen as competing for our affections.

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By William McKenzie
William McKenzie is the editor of The Catalyst: A Journal of Ideas from the Bush Institute. He wrote this for the Dallas Morning News. -- Ed. (Tribune Content Agency)