Nationalism in international relations: Norms, foreign policy, and enmity (Somalia, Kashmir)

This dissertation analyzes the effect of nationalism on interstate relations. More specifically, it examines how the presence of ethno-national groups that are divided into separate states affects the relationship between those states. The theoretical discussion of the early chapters analyzes two primary factors: (1) how the development of competing international norms concerning state sovereignty and self-determination breed bilateral mistrust and instability between states that share common national groups; and (2) which domestic and situational factors contribute to higher levels of militant revisionism initiated by potentially irredentist states. The theoretical propositions of the early chapters are followed by a detailed econometric quantitative analysis. The conclusions drawn from the theoretical and empirical sections are then applied to three case studies, which comprise the second part of the dissertation. These case studies examine how nationalism has affected interstate relations in the Horn of Africa; among the countries of South Asia; and historically within the context of Greco-Turkish relations.