Actualités et agenda
Nos formations
Présentation
A general background in IR theory, international law, and global history is important.
Warning: This is a reading-heavy class based on class interactions, rather than a conventional lecture course. Be sure you are up for the required work load before signing up for this class.
The system of sovereign states is the basic starting point for thinking about, and acting within, international relations and international law. As such, the states constituting ‘the international’ are usually taken for granted in International Relations (IR), law, and political science. But where do sovereign states come from in the first place and how do new states still emerge today? The creation of states is not only in itself controversial, but it also sheds light on the constitution of ‘the international’ as a system of states. The course introduces students to key questions of state creation in IR and international law, from early state formation through the demise of colonial empires and struggles for national self-determination to contested cases of state creation today.
1 Introduction
No readings.
2 Conceptualizing the sovereign state
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1994. ‘Rethinking the State: Genesis and Structure of the Bureaucratic Field.’ Sociological Theory 12 (1), pp. 1-18.
Devetak, Richard. 1995. ‘Incomplete States: Theories and Practices of Statecraft’, in John MacMillan and Andrew Linklater (eds.), Boundaries in Question: New Directions in International Relations. London: Pinter, pp. 19-39.
3 Before and without the state? In search of ‘origins’
Scott, James. 2017. Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States. New Haven: Yale University Press, introduction, pp. 1-35.
Osiander, Andreas. 2001. “Sovereignty, International Relations, and the Westphalian Myth“ International Organization 55 (2), pp. 251-287.
4 Empire and the state system
Horowitz, Richard S. 2004. “International Law and State Transformation in China, Siam, and the Ottoman Empire during the Nineteenth Century.” Journal of World History (xxx): 445-486.
Manela, Erez. 2001. ‘The Wilsonian Moment and the Rise of Anticolonial Nationalism: The Case of Egypt.’ Diplomacy and Statecraft 12 (4), pp. 99-122.
5 Nationalism and territory
Taylor, Peter J. 1994. “The State as Container: Territoriality in the Modern World-System.” Progress in Human Geography 18(2): 151-162.
Koskenniemi, Martti. 1994. “National Self-Determination Today: Problems of Legal Theory and Practice.” The International and Comparative Law Quarterly 43(2): 241-269.
6 Recognition and international law
Crawford, James. 2006. The Creation of States in International Law, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, chapter 1 (“Statehood and Recognition”), pp. 3-37.
Caspersen, Nina. 2012. Unrecognized States: The Struggle for Sovereignty in the Modern International System, London: Polity, introduction, 1-25.
7 Case studies and debates I: Somaliland and Kosovo
Eggers, Alison K. 2007. ‘When is a State a State? The Case for Recognition of Somaliland.’ Boston College International & Comparative Law Review 30(2): 211-222.
Newman, Edward, and Gëzim Visoka. 2018. ‘The Foreign Policy of State Recognition: Kosovo’s Diplomatic Strategy to Join International Society.‘ Foreign Policy Analysis 14(3): 367-387.
Debate 1: Has Somaliland become a state, yes or no?
Debate 2: Has Kosovo become a state, yes or no?
Note: Supplementary materials for the preparation of the group debates will be provided online.
8 Case studies and debates II: ISIS, Iraq, and Syria
Vu, Tuong and Van Orden, Patrick. 2020. ‘Revolution and World Order: The Case of the Islamic State (ISIS).’ International Politics, 57(1): 57-78.
Hinnebusch, Raymond. 2016. State De-Construction in Iraq and Syria." Politische Vierteljahresschrift 57(4): 560-585.
Debate 3: Has ISIS become a state itself at some point, yes or no?
Debate 4: Have Syria and Iraq ceased to be states at some point, yes or no?
Note: Supplementary materials for the preparation of the group debates will be provided online.
9 Wrap-up session
Walker, R.B.J. 2006. ‘The Double Outside of the Modern International.’ Ephemera: theory and politics in organization 6(1): 56-69.
Modalités
Students are graded on the basis of the following assignments:
(1) Participation (20%): This is a reading-heavy and interactive class. Each student is expected to read all assigned texts and participate actively in class discussions.
(2) Paper and presentation (40%): Each student writes a discussion paper of about 800 (plus/minus 100) words on one of the two assigned readings of one particular session (sessions 3-6). The paper should not summarize the reading but critically engage with its key arguments and take a stance. Papers must be submitted (by midnight) the day before the respective class session. Each student presents her or his paper and main positions in a short presentation in class (5-10 minutes). Specifics will be provided in class.
(3) Debates (40%): In sessions 7 and 8, group debates will be organized on particular questions to draw on the literature discussed in the course and craft and defend arguments about state creation and demise. Specifics will be provided in class.