Irredentism: Ethnic Conflict and International Politics

by Thomas Ambrosio

Overview

The idea of national unification has long been a powerful mobilizing force for nationalist thinkers and ethnic entrepreneurs since the rise of nationalist ideology in the late 1700s. This phenomenon came to be known as irredentism. During the Cold War, irredentist projects were largely subordinated to the ideological struggle between East and West. After the Cold War, however, the international system has witnessed a proliferation of such conflicts throughout Europe and Asia.

Ambrosio integrates both domestic and international factors to explain both the initiation and settlement of irredentist conflicts. His central argument is that irredentist states confront two potentially contradictory forces: domestic nationalism and pressure from the international community. Irredentist leaders are forced to reconcile their nationalist policies with pressures from the international plane. At the same time, irredentist leaders exploit perceived windows of opportunity in pursuit of their nationalist goals. Ambrosio examines in depth the past, present, and possible irredentist projects of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, and Armenia within a theoretical and comparative framework. His conclusions yield signficant theoretical findings and important policy implications for both scholars of ethnic conflicts, nationalism, and international relations and policy makers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275972608
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

THOMAS AMBROSIO is Assistant Professor of Political Science, North Dakota State University./e He has published book reviews and articles in international jourbanals, chapters in numerous books, and is co-editor of International Law and the Rise of Nations: The State System and the Challenge of Ethnic Groups.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Foreword
Preface
Nations, States, and the Post-Cold War World
Explaining Irredentist Outcomes
International Reaction to Irredentism in Yogoslavia
The Limits of Irredentism in the Former Yugoslavia
Western Integration and Hungarian Irredentism
Armenian Irredentism: Acquiring Friends and Allies in Ethnic Conflicts
Conclusions and Future Avenues of Research
Appendix A: The Exclusion of Russia
Appendix B: Media Coverage of the Yugoslav Crisis
Appendix C: Yugoslavia and Nagorno-Karabakh in the Media
Bibliography