During the beginning of the democratization process, should employ nationalism as a means to secure a nation's political and economic interests.

Political elites

The idea of a nation gives people a common purpose and pulls people together, and the nation's elite (upper level, leadership class) can use the idea of national community to keep the process going in a positive direction.  But the ideas of a nation need to be unifying, treating all persons and groups as the same, regardless of ethnicity or religion or other factors.  Otherwise, democratization can descend into factionalism or racial or ethnic biases.  This causes inequalities in the society and jeopardizes the nation's political and economic future.  Inclusive nationalism is what's needed, calling all persons toward a single national consciousness.

An article by Maya Tudor, detailing the idea of nationalism and inclusive democracy, was published recently in The Washington Post.  The article is entitled, "How Nationalism Can Actually Help Democracies" (April 25, 2018).

Political forces often influence public opinion.