And as I speak here of mixed bodies, such as republics or religious sects, I say that those changes are beneficial that bring them back to their original And those are the best-constituted bodies, and have the longestexistence, which possess the intrinsic means of frequently renewingthemselves, or such as obtain this renovation in consequence of someextrinsic accidents. And it is a truth clearer than light that, without suchrenovation, these bodies cannot continue to exist; and the means of renewingthem is to bring them back to their original principles. Machiavelli, The Discourses Introduction. Communitarian theorists, following Machiavelli, have arguedthat patriotic sentimenta deep emotional identification with ones fellowcitizensis vitally necessary to support, defend, and sustain liberaldemocratic institutions.[1] Without patriotic virtue, the institutions ofliberal democracy are likely to decay under the weight of self-interest,greed, and corruption. Theorists rooted in the tradition of liberalindividualism, however, have been a good deal more skeptical about the moralvalue of patriotic feeling. Strong emotional attachment to the communitytends to overshadow and eclipse the independence and freedom of individuals. As George Kateb argues, "If groups are imagined too vividly, individuals losesight of themselves and are lost sight of."[2] There is, no doubt, some justification for the liberal'sskepticism: patriotism too often results in the exclusion and repression ofpeople in the name of preserving group integrity. On the other hand, it islikely true that some sort of civic obligation needs to be observed in orderto sustain liberal institutions. Widespread civic participation andcommitment to liberal constitutionalism are likely neither self-generatingnor self-sustaining. In this chapter, my aim is not so much to resolve thisapparent tension between (a) the dangers of strong patriotic or nationalidentification...
