Formation/Cours

The system of sovereign states is the basic starting point for thinking about, and acting within, international relations and law. As such, the many states composing ‘the international’ are usually taken for granted, and the focus rests on politics within or between states. But where do sovereign states come from in the first place and how do new states emerge today? Rather than being an evident starting point, the constitution of states turns out to be a controversial subject which also sheds light on the political constitution of ‘the international’ itself as a system of states. The course introduces students to basic tenets of the study of state making in international politics and law, from early state formation through the demise of colonial empires and struggles for national self-determination to contested cases of state creation today.