In the internet era, diplomatic crises are likely to be handled by governments acting under some level of scrutiny of domestic audiences. Authoritarian states such as the PRC have significant capabilities for attenuating public attention and shaping citizens’ interpretations of the situation. but there are still a range of high-stakes scenarios — such as a serious US-China naval clash in disputed waters, or a Taiwanese independence declaration — in which public pressure could make an authoritarian state more likely to escalate a crisis. The workshop opens up a discussion of some hypotheses on the impact of nationalism in international crises, and outlines a “simulation-survey experiment” method designed for investigating these issues.