What is civic nationalism?

Civic nationalism is, in a way, a positive vision of what
nationalism should be.  It is one that is based on citizenship and legal rights, not on
biology.

One form of nationalism is based on race.  In this
form of nationalism, people should feel tied to one another because they are of the same
"race" or ethnicity.  In this sort of nationalism, no one can choose to belong or not to
belong to some nation.  They are in that nation because of their
birth.

By contrast, civic nationalism is based on choices
we make.  If I go to Canada and I want to embrace the values and attitudes of Canada,
then I can be a Canadian.  I do not have to be of any particular ethnic group to be
included as a Canadian.  All I have to do is to buy into the attitudes that make a
person Canadian and then make the choice to become a Canadian
citizen.

These are very different views of what should tie
us together.  In ethnic nationalism, we are tied together by our "blood."  In civic
nationalism, we are tied together by our values, our attitudes and our
choices.