In "Patriotism and the Left," N. Kotzias restores the meaning of patriotism and places it on rational-radical foundations. This is a fundamental issue in Greece, a "Debt Colony," which operates under the shadow of memorandums and international oversight.

Patriotism cannot be abandoned to the nationalism of the conservative side. It is linked with the left, in contrast to what some in the left self-identify as "non-patriotic." The author explains how the nation and nationalism are born.

He subjects reactionary nationalism, which promotes the politics of exclusion of the weak and politically different with submission to the powerful in the West, to strict criticism. Nationalism, patriotism, internationalism, and cosmopolitanism, N. Kotzias argues, are concepts and themes within an extensive field of social struggles, which concern the meaning of these terms, as well as how and by whom the content of the dominant values in society is determined.

Patriotism means a political struggle for the preservation and strengthening of: a) the democratic and social rights of the people; b) the rights and capabilities of the country in the international system. It is a crucial criterion for determining the "national interests" safeguarded by an active democratic foreign and defense policy.

The author's belief is that the left that wins in "cultural" struggles, such as that of patriotism, increases its prospects for success. It facilitates broader alliances and the formation of a Government of Salvation.