S. Statehood

International law is fundamentally structured around states. This seminar will explore questions about how international law depends on, constitutes, regulates, and empowers states -- and about the inherent compromises and tradeoffs that it makes in the process. We will tackle these questions through a mix of historical, critical, doctrinal, and theoretical methods and in a range of geographic contexts. Topics will include the processes and criteria for creating states; the normative principles that are advanced or sidelined by recognizing certain entities (and not others) as states; the current levers of support for and threats to statehood; and the implications of these questions for the future of the discipline.

To participate in the seminar, students must have already completed a basic class in international law and must apply for admission by sending an email to Professor Hakimi's assistant, Michael McParlane ([email protected]), with the following information: (1) the date they completed the basic course, with the name of the professor who taught it, (2) a law school transcript, (3) a CV, and (4) a short statement of why they are interested in taking the seminar and what they hope to get out of it. Applications are due to Mr. McParlane by November 15, 2024.