Well, I think that nationalism expresses itself in different ways in different nations, and one country's particular means of expression may be misinterpreted outside its borders. An Irish friend of mine once told me that she viewed Canadians as "stupidly nationalistic", on account of their tendency to plaster the maple leaf all over themselves whenever they leave North America.
> It seems to me to be a characteristic popular impulse in an imperialist nation,
> where passionate identification with the nation-state provides the powerless
> masses with the vicarious experience of power, and where bonds of
> national solidarity are also forged against an external world they perceive
> as envious and hostile.
I don't see why it's necessarily an imperialist thing. Ireland is certainly not an imperialist country but nationalism here has always been very strong. In some respects its overt expressions are even more common here than they are in the US. For example, it's not unusual for nightclub DJs to close with the national anthem, and on those occasions when Ireland qualifies for the World Cup you can hardly walk five feet without tripping over someone's flag. ( I think actually that in a lot of countries the occasion of an important soccer game would bring out a degree of nationalism that might surprise you!) You don't get that common American attitude of "we're the best country in the world" here, but as I was saying, that's only one type of nationalism.