Populism, Nationalism, and Foreign Policy

Abstract

Abstract Previous work on populism and nationalism has focused on domestic politics, but the rise in the number of populist and nationalist heads of state has led International Relations (IR) scholars to speculate about their implications for foreign policy and the liberal international order (LIO). In order to make sense of this emerging literature, this chapter begins with a review of the three main schools of thought on how populism and nationalism may influence foreign policy: (1) ideational theories, (2) supply-side theories and (3) demand-side theories. It draws attention to the contributions and blind spots of each. The penultimate section offers a novel mobilizational model that connects these three traditions into an integrated ‘inside-out’ theory of foreign policy that considers the effects of populism, nationalism, and their combination. It also suggests ways that our model can be enhanced in future research using the conceptual and methodological toolkit of FPA.