Subject Area: International Relations

The first part of the course establishes a theoretical framework for understanding sovereignty, examining both absolutist and radical democratic theories of the state. The course then examines the use of unconventional violence within the state: terrorism and civil war. The concepts of sovereignty and self-determination in relation to the past and present treatment of indigenous peoples is examined next. This is followed by a discussion of the satus of sovereignty in the European Union. The second part studies wars of anticipation, discussing why assertions of a right of anticipation challenge the principle of sovereign equality. The course then looks at the matter of post-bellum justice: the responsibility of interveners to reconstruct post-intervention states. The next topic concerns the socially constructed nature of statehood and sovereignty. The evolution of international legal criteria for statehood is then addressed. The course concludes by examining contemporary Chinese interpretations of sovereignty both domestically and internationally.