Democracy and Dynamite: The Peoples' Right to Self-Determination

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Abstract
The right to self-determination is a potent and paradoxical political concept. It is associated with democracy, xenophobia and anarchy. Its explosive potential was more or less held in check during the Cold War by an international consensus that restricted it to the context of decolonization. The unravelling of the Soviet Union and the break-up of Yugoslavia have demonstrated the inadequacy of the available theory and practice. Various recent approaches to self-determination are reviewed. These may be roughly classified as realist, liberal and communitarian. Although no approach is wholly satisfactory, the key issues can now be more clearly stated, an emerging consensus identified, and the agenda for further theoretical work proposed.

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