Editing Irredentism (section)

=== Regime type ===
An additional relevant factor is the regime type of both the irredentist state and the neighboring state. In this regard, it is often argued that [[democratic state]]s are less likely to engage in irredentism. One reason cited is that democracies often are more inclusive of other ethnic groups. Another is that democracies are in general less likely to engage in violent conflicts. This is closely related to [[democratic peace theory]], which claims that democracies try to avoid armed conflicts with other democracies. This is also supported by the observation that most irredentist conflicts are started by [[authoritarian regime]]s.{{sfn|Ambrosio|2011|pp=1346–1348|loc=irredentism}}{{sfn|Siroky|Hale|2017|p=3}}{{sfn|Reiter|2019}} However, irredentism constitutes a paradox for democratic systems. The reason is that [[democratic ideals]] pertaining to the ethnic group can often be used to justify its claim, which may be interpreted as the expression of a popular will toward unification. But there are also cases of irredentism made primarily by a government that is not broadly supported by the population.{{sfn|Clarke|Foweraker|2003|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eT9PEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA375 375–376]}}

According to Siroky and Hale, [[anocratic]] regimes are most likely to engage in irredentist conflicts and to become their victim. This is based on the idea that they share some democratic ideals favoring irredentism but often lack institutional stability and [[accountability]]. This makes it more likely for the elites to consolidate their power using [[Ethnic nationalism|ethno-nationalist]] appeals to the masses.{{sfn|Siroky|Hale|2017|p=3}}