Project Title
The extinction of states within the international system
Behavioral change(s) addressed
For this project, the relevant behaviour is at the macro/state level, namely how states react, recognize, and manage the disappearance of fellow sovereign states.
Theoretical approach
The project draws mostly from the English School of international relations, which emphasizes international society—the community of state acknowledging each other as members of an overarching ‘family of Nations’—as its main frame.
Empirical research strategies
The project will consist of a mix of historical research into the development of legal rules governing state death, as well as doctrinal legal research into the current regimes/options for managing state death in the 21st century.
Possibilities for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration
The project is highly inter-disciplinary from its inception, involving as it does history, international law, and international relations. I also foresee the possibility of collaborating with colleagues who work on environmental change.
Social transition(s) addressed
The project addresses state death (or state extinction). For most of the last century, state death was very rare; but climate change, increasing political conflict and similar developments mean that a new wave of state extinction within the next century is all but inevitable.