Ethnonational Rebellions and Viable Constitutionalism

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Abstract
Pioneering work by Karl Deutsch on the dynamics of national ism, rooted in its evolution as a modern European phenomenon, helped to pave the way for an understanding of the post-imperial development of ethnonationalist movements in contemporary states of the Second and Third Worlds. The eruption of such movements in multi-ethnic societies is a modern and growing phenomenon. It reflects both the widespread acceptance of self-determination as a democratic ideal and the availabil ity of contemporary communications technology, organizational skills, and weapons of mass violence. The brutal realities of authoritarianism and anarchy in many countries contradict the hopes raised by modern dreams of democracy and economic prosperity. In this context, we need to under stand that viable systems of constitutional government—where power is exercised responsibly and effectively—offer the only hope that ethnona tional violence can be replaced by the nonviolent politics of ethnic compe tition. External interventions designed to resolve violent communal conflicts are less likely to succeed than are systemic transformations that replace authoritarianism with constitutional governance—but both pose a huge challenge to the will and capabilities of the more advanced indus trial democracies.

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