About the book:

What gets lost when states fail? The disintegration of state institutions is one of the most urgent problems facing international politics today. Cord Schmelzle’s study represents the first monograph to examine this phenomenon from the perspective of political theory and philosophy. Based on his conceptual analysis of “legitimacy” and “statehood,” the author develops a new theory regarding the justification of governance relations and the value of state systems and structures. In doing so, he asks how the international community should react to cases of failed states.

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