Nationalism and self-determination

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The belief that the nation is the natural political community and should govern itself.

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A nation is a people who share an identity, history and belonging; a state is a sovereign political unit with a government, territory and recognised borders.

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A state whose borders match a single nation — the ideal case, which is rare in practice since most states contain several peoples.

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Belonging based on shared citizenship, values and institutions, open to anyone who commits regardless of ancestry — tending to be inclusive.

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Belonging based on shared ancestry, ethnicity, language or blood — something you are born into — tending to be exclusive.

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The right of a people to decide its own political status and governance — to rule itself, up to forming its own state.

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Because almost no state matches one nation, so nationalism's claim that each nation should rule itself collides with existing states' borders and sovereignty.

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States are full of many peoples and their borders are recognised in law, so an unlimited right to secede threatens territorial integrity, stability and new minorities.

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A people should not be ruled against its will; it is a right in international law, and denying it breeds grievance, repression and conflict.

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Sovereignty and territorial integrity underpin international order; unlimited secession would fragment states endlessly and create new trapped minorities.

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Both principles are real and neither is absolute, so the wise path is usually autonomy, minority rights and consensual, negotiated change rather than forced unity or unlimited secession.