Nationalism

"There is no problem with the doctrine of nationalism in itself. It merely states that the world is divided into nations and that each nation should have its own independent sovereign state. The difficulty arises from conflicting definitions of what constitutes a nation. ... [To romantic historians], the nation has always existed, although it may well have lost its ancient independence to foreign conquerers. National identity is defined in cultural terms, more often by membership of an ethnic group speaking a common natural language. [Alternatively], liberal pluralists equate the nation with the political community. The nation is defined by the constitution and by citizenship. Ethnic and cultural identities are largely irrelevant, although ... [scholars] have argued that ... democracy is likely to prove fragile in countries where powerful ethnic communities compete to capture the state through the ballot box."

Regionalism in World Politics, p. 171-72