It's not sweet and right to die for your country.

Horace. Internationista, Antonia Scott.

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori", once wrote leading Roman lyric poet Horace, "It is sweet and right to die for your country".

It is a belief held by many still today but one which is impossible for the Internationista to accept. For the Internationista, whose identity transcends manmade international borders and not faithful to one country alone, this idea which is based on the assumption of absolute affinity with one country alone fails.

Let me give you a couple of examples as to why it is difficult, albeit impossible, for an Internationista to support war in order to defend one's country.

Every year in Australia on the 25 April Australian celebrate ANZAC DAY. In practice this means attending dawn services in remembrance of the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp) in World War I, and the hitting the pubs to drink and play two-up - a betting game where two coins are tossed up into the air on a stick with bets places on the coins landing on heads or tails. It is the only day that this betting game is permitted as it was played by the ANZACs in the trenches in North Africa as they battled against the Germans and Italians.

As an Internationista who grown up in Australia the problem I have with celebrating and remembering the ANZACs is that my Italian great grandfather was involved in this battle but on the other side.

In England every year, on the 11th November, the UK celebrates Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day). It remembers the British killed in World War I and World War II. I was born in Scotland so and by birthplace and blood British but my Italian grandfather, the grandparent I spent most time with growing up, fought against the British in World War II with the Italians.

In essence, given that all three sides of my heritage, Australian, British and Italian have tried to eradicate the other throughout the last century, I'm lucky to be alive.

This is why Horace's long held belief, which is still upheld by many today, makes no sense to an Internationista. With affiliations to more than one country we have a past where our grandfathers fought each other. We have a present where to fight on the side of anyone of my affiliated countries would mean attacking my own. It is senseless to believe in an ideology which would see our own sons, brother verses brother (or sister), fight against each other in the future.