The only problem is that the right to self determination, or any human rights, for that matter, is also narrative. Humans have been building these constructs since we learned to communicate, and the best storytellers had people bringing them food by the fire and lavishing them with gifts. The fact that we can do anything cooperatively as a species is based on rich context, also known as our unique ability to gossip, which is also known as creating a narrative about an individual. And so to decapitate kings and queens figuratively, we created narratives about inalienable human rights and shifted the world away from monarchies to meritocracies. Unfortunately we ended up with plutocracies instead.