Beyond Westphalia?: State Sovereignty and International Invention

Intervention has been a common feature of international politics. But in Beyond Westphalia? Gene M. Lyons and Michael Mastanduno make a distinction between unilateral and international intervention. They raise the question of whether international intervention is increasingly justified to provide humanitarian assistance, to protect human rights, and to compel governments to comply with their obligations under arms control treaties and environmental agreements. They also address the critical issue of legitimacy―of whether and how to right to intervene can be justified, politically and legally.

Under the Westphalian system of international order, each nation is understood to be sovereign and its borders are seen as inviolate. But with the emergence of worldwide problems and the increasing interdependence of nations, it is clear that what happens (or does not happen) in one country can have seriousrepercussions elsewhere. Beyond Westphalia? brings together a distinguished group of scholars to explore the question of whether recent political changes have shifted the balance between the sovereign rights of states and the authority of the larger international community.

Contributors are Jarat Chopra, Ken Conca, Jack Donnelly, Robert H. Jackson, Stephen D. Krasner, Friedrich Kratochwil, Gene M. Lyons, Michael Mastanduno, Janne E. Nolan, Nicholas Onuf, James N. Rosenau, and Thomas G. Weiss.

Gene M. Lyons is professor emeritus of government at Dartmouth College. He has most recently served as co-editor of and contributor to The State of the United Nations, 1992.

Michael Mastanduno is associate professor of government at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Economic Containment: CoCom and the Politics of East-West Trade.