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A Disaggregated World Order: Would it be Analytically Helpful to Abandon the Assumption of The International System?
Unformatted Document Text:  1 The International System R.I.P? Would it be analytically helpful to abandon the assumption of THEinternational system? Hans-Henrik Holm, Paper written for the International Studies Association Conference 2005,Panel on “What Kind of World Order?. March 1-5, 2005. Students of international relations are caught in a bind: On the one handour basic conception of the world builds on the state system. On the otherhand the predominance of that system is severely challenged by themultitude of forces that we call globalization. Because the international state system has been the historical solution tothe devastating consequences of contested authority structures we look tothe international state system to establish order. The international statesystem is the justification and legitimization of state sovereignty (Shaw,2004, p. 8). Preserving that system becomes a central goal because of thedramatic consequences of a breakdown. ”First and foremost we must shore up the state system. The worldhas worked for three centuries with the sovereign state as the basicoperating entity...Increasingly the state system has been eroding.Terrorists have exploited this weakness. But no replacementsystem is in sight that can perform the essential functions. Ourgreat task is to restore the vitality of the state system” (Shultz, 2004in Press-Barnathan 2004, p.195). In his book the Global Covenant Robert Jackson argues in a similar veinthat the principles of sovereign equality and respect for the territorialintegrity of states is a global covenant that it is costly to violate (Jackson,2000). The international state system is seen as a foundational structure for boththe practice and the study of international relations.Despite this or perhaps because of it much if not most of the literature ininternational relations challenges the priority given to the ”state logic”.Some of the challenges look at other spheres of authority than the state.Here the focus is on ”communities of fate” other than the state. They maytake many forms: NGO.s transnational organizations, international

Authors: Holm, Hans-Henrik.
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1
The International System R.I.P?
Would it be analytically helpful to abandon the assumption of THE
international system?
Hans-Henrik Holm,
Paper written for the International Studies Association Conference 2005,
Panel on “What Kind of World Order?. March 1-5, 2005.
Students of international relations are caught in a bind: On the one hand
our basic conception of the world builds on the state system. On the other
hand the predominance of that system is severely challenged by the
multitude of forces that we call globalization.
Because the international state system has been the historical solution to
the devastating consequences of contested authority structures we look to
the international state system to establish order. The international state
system is the justification and legitimization of state sovereignty (Shaw,
2004, p. 8). Preserving that system becomes a central goal because of the
dramatic consequences of a breakdown.
”First and foremost we must shore up the state system. The world
has worked for three centuries with the sovereign state as the basic
operating entity...Increasingly the state system has been eroding.
Terrorists have exploited this weakness. But no replacement
system is in sight that can perform the essential functions. Our
great task is to restore the vitality of the state system” (Shultz, 2004
in Press-Barnathan 2004, p.195).
In his book the Global Covenant Robert Jackson argues in a similar vein
that the principles of sovereign equality and respect for the territorial
integrity of states is a global covenant that it is costly to violate (Jackson,
2000).
The international state system is seen as a foundational structure for both
the practice and the study of international relations.
Despite this or perhaps because of it much if not most of the literature in
international relations challenges the priority given to the ”state logic”.
Some of the challenges look at other spheres of authority than the state.
Here the focus is on ”communities of fate” other than the state. They may
take many forms: NGO.s transnational organizations, international


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