In the footsteps of Karl Deutsch: On nationalism, self-determination and international relations

Abstract

The article argues that Karl Deutsch?s work on nationalism is not only a precursor to his ?security communities? but that it is central to his international relations (IR). Nationalism impacts what people expect from the state and influences the state?s international behaviour. While these processes are mostly automatic and cannot be controlled, their trajectories are not fully determined. Deutsch is interested in theorising moments when automatic processes do not suffice or become harmful and intervention is needed. The article first introduces Deutsch as a theorist of nationalism, examining his contribution in the context of the field of nationalism studies and the reasons for his equivocal reception in this field. In its second part, the article makes sense of the legacy of Deutsch?s work on nationalism for contemporary IR by focusing on his use of the notion of self-determination with which Deutsch transcends the normative imperatives of the narrower concept of national self-determination.Peer reviewe

Understanding Nepali Nationalism

“…Understanding nationalism can be important in comprehending the country's international behaviour (Carlson ; Dannreuther and Kennedy ). The international relations theory suggests that nationalism can shape the state's international relations because what people expect from their state influences its international behaviour (Stullerova ). Notwithstanding, whether it is good or bad, Nepal's greater interaction with India means that its identity is often expressed vis‐à‐vis India, and we have seen in this article that this has created a stronger boundary with India.…”

Embracing ontological doubt: The role of ‘reality’ in political realism

“… 4. Among the earlier anti-traditionalists, the normative commitment is spectacularly apparent, as for instance recent works on Karl Deutsch amply emphasise (Ruzicka, 2014a, 2014b; Stullerova, 2014a). …”