BRITISH IDENTITY AND THE GERMAN OTHER A Dissertation ...

domestic and international politics have been explored. William Bloom referred to Abraham
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory—a five-tier pyramid rising from basic physiological needs,
to security, love, self-esteem and self-actualization—in order to illustrate the limits of coercion in
the reciprocal relationship between leaders and led in constructing national identity. In short,
citizen loyalty depends upon the perception of state legitimacy. 50 Bloom postulated a “national
identity dynamic” that rallies public opinion in favor of foreign policies that either address
perceived threats to, or somehow enhance, national identity. Domestic political competitions
and, more explicitly, foreign policy decisions hinge on which candidate or party can tap public
concerns about national security and/or national prestige. 51 The “national interest,” from
Bloom’s perspective, too easily becomes a rationalization vulnerable to political manipulation
and “has no conceptual use as a tool for ranking foreign policy priorities.” 52 Even worse,
national identity harbors an atavistic warrior culture mentality of not showing weakness to the
enemy and therefore impedes the “‘sacred’ communication and ritual of diplomats” that would
otherwise allow for a realignment of positions without loss of prestige. 53 Bloom apparently sees
the national identity dynamic as a double-edged sword that can be appropriated for propaganda
50 Personal Identity, National Identity and International Relations (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1990), 16, 23, 55-56, 64.
51 Ibid., 79-81.
52 Ibid., 84.
53 Ibid., 154. While Bloom distanced himself from the “ideal” of secret or insular
diplomacy, even if it were possible, and rightly observed the dangerous and obstructionist
potential of a politicized foreign policy, his contention that “successful” nation-building
cultivates an attitude of “my country right or wrong” seems disturbingly Machiavellian (pp. 58,
157).
53