Dawa Norbu combines insights based on an understanding of specific political systems in the Third World and a deep knowledge of nationalist activity within these systems, with a theoretical framework that seeks to draw out the universal significance of seemingly local events in terms of nationalism. The author's personal experience of nationalism in Tibet, in India and in the United States together with a sociological analysis of ten case studies inform an argument that pays particular attention to how nationalism is moulded by local cultural factors. Areas discussed include South Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe with critical and comparative reference to the European forms of nationalism. The book also contains an analysis of the relationship between Marxism and nationalism. Norbu argues that the importance of nationalism as an enduring social force in international politics is especially evident from its appearance in societies that are explicitly founded upon transnational ideals.