The International Relations of Ethnicity: Cross-Border Ethnic Solidarity, Irredentism, and Nigerian State Responses

This dissertation examines the international relations of ethnicity in the Nigerian context, developing an original theoretical account of how cross-border ethnic solidarity movements, irredentist pressures, and the claims of trans-state ethnic communities have shaped Nigerian foreign policy and bilateral relations with neighbouring states. Nigeria's geography places numerous ethnic communities on both sides of international borders drawn by colonial demarcation, including Hausa-Fulani communities extending into Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, Yoruba communities in Benin Republic, and Kanuri communities across the Lake Chad Basin. Drawing on the theory of ethnic diasporas in international relations, borderland political sociology, and constructivist identity theory, this study analyses three cases of cross-border ethnic solidarity dynamics and their foreign policy implications from 1990 to 2024: Fulani transnationalism and Nigeria-Niger security relations, Yoruba identity politics and the Benin Republic relationship, and Kanuri network diplomacy in the Lake Chad context. Primary data are drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted across border communities in Kebbi, Ogun, and Borno states, diplomatic archive material from the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and analysis of political party platforms and civil society statements. The dissertation's theoretical contribution advances the international relations of ethnicity literature by developing the concept of ethnic hedging to describe how Nigerian state actors simultaneously manage trans-state ethnic claims from within and manage the foreign policy implications of those claims in bilateral and multilateral forums, and by demonstrating how ethnic solidarity networks create both foreign policy opportunities and security vulnerabilities that material capability accounts of Nigerian foreign policy cannot adequately explain. Keywords: ethnicity, irredentism, Nigeria, cross-border, foreign policy.