State of Sovereignty - International Boundary Research Unit

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Books

Book recommendations will return in August 2010

Conferences

• Critical Geopolitics 2008
• State of Sovereignty - International Boundary Research Unit

Courses

• Conflicts, Teritories and Identities
• International Politics (Critical Geopolitics)
• Geoeconomics and Competitive Intelligence
• Geopolitical Analysis of International Relations
• Geopolitics, Territory and Security
• Territories, identities and conflict in a changing world order

Databases

• Centre for Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Research Database

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• Country Data
• Country Risk
• Energy Security
• Geopolitical Analysis
• International Security
• Natural Resource Disputes - The Arctic
• Natural Resource Disputes - Spratly Islands
• World Politics

Quotes

Thought-provoking, geopolitical quotes will return in August 2010

Report by Editor (August 2009)

Introduction

In April 2009, the International Boundary Research Unit organised the "State of Sovereignty" conference. The main aim of this event was "to reflect on the impact of the geopolitical upheavals of the last twenty years, and to exchange ideas about the meaning and function of sovereignty and international boundaries today and in the decades ahead."

Specialists from a broad range of backgrounds offered fresh perspectives on borders. Among many profound insights that border experts offered was that "language can be a masterpiece of ambiguity."

In this brief report, the editor speaks of his experiences during the conference and the opportunities that the conference provided. He focuses on the two main functions of any conference: meeting people and gaining knowledge.

Meeting people

An extremely informal gathering

"The State of Sovereignty" conference confirmed that attending a conference has one tremendous benefit: the opportunity to discuss matters face to face with the experts in the field. In fact, "The State of Sovereignty" conference was an extremely informal gathering.

Sharing a passion

I was continually in the company of people that shared my passion for geopolitical issues. Having just arrived in Durham and walking from bus stop to conference venue, I spoke with a lead geographic advisor to the US Department of State. The same night, over dinner, I talked with the editor of the "Encyclopedia of International Boundaries". We exchanged our views on the relationship between borders and economic viability of countries. Next day, over lunch, I expressed my interest in a master program in geopolitics and boundary studies to a professor of King's College.

An academic marketplace

With experienced scholars being awfully easy to approach, the conference served as an academic marketplace. Some participants were looking for PhD opportunities, others offered support to get started with a PhD. Some participants were looking for a new job, others knew about a vacancy. Some participants needed help in keeping their research project on track, others revealed how they got round bottlenecks during earlier academic endeavours.

Gaining knowledge

Borders, borders and borders

The participants debated extensively about the many features of borders:

• A border is not only a frontier, but also an asset and resource.
• The 'borderless world' discourse that had been built up after the Cold War ended, has recently been mocked down.
• It seems impossible to find the optimal theory of borders. Changing borders to maximise economic viability would result in one country, a superpower.

Water and border disputes

Specialists looked at borders from various angles. Several presentations elaborated on border disputes that involved water and transboundary resources:

• Broadly speaking, there are two views on transboundary water reserves: 'conflicts are imminent' and 'history has shown that cooperation prevails.'
• Setting the Thalweg -median line of the deepest navigable level of river- as border could still lead to renewed border dispute because rivers change their position. A good example is the Shatt-al-Arab between Iran and Iraq.
• Article 121(3) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is not adequate to divide the Spratly Islands among the five claiming countries. This article leaves room for interpretation. Precedents may be very useful in this regard.

Borders in the Arctic

Furthermore, participants discussed many timely topics such as tensions in the Arctic region that emerge as a result of global warming:

• The status of the Northwest passage is subject to discussion: is it part of Canada's internal waters or is it an international strait? The latter would give the right to sub-marines and planes to freely move through the area.
• The Arctic passage saves shipping distance. However, the costs that come with the required usage of smaller boats probably outweigh the distance related savings.
• There seems to be more tensions between Arctic Group of countries ('Group of Five') and the rest of the world than between the individual Arctic countries.

Conclusion

"The State of Sovereignty" conference offered an invaluable combination of passionate people, thought-provoking presentations and an informal atmosphere. As a result, the conference was challenging, inspiring and fruitful.

Several participants seized one of the opportunities that the conference presented. One expert in the field did so by giving his first presentation abroad ever. "It was like a dream", he told me afterwards. Another participant was looking for a PhD position and had actually done so by the end of the conference. For me, the conference marked a new beginning.

On the platform of Durham station, I met the professor of King's College again. He joked "I am looking forward to your application form", just before I got on the train. I will meet him soon. When I start with the master program "Geopolitics, Territory and Security."

Talking about opportunities!