Whither Zionism?

In recent decades “Zionism” has become a flashpoint in the war of words about the nature of the Jewish State. An examination of the history and changing meaning of Zionism can help us sort through the conflicting and confusing debates that surround us. Zionism was conceived in the late 19th century as the national liberation movement of the Jewish People. During the 20th century the Zionist movement achieved its outrageously unlikely dream of establishing the State of Israel as an independent Jewish nation in the Land of Israel, the Jewish ancestral homeland. But what does it mean to be a Zionist now in the early 21st century?