Where there’s a will, there’s a way: Ten ways of settling an insoluble territorial dispute

Russia in Global Affairs. 2019. Vol. 17. No. 3. P. 152–174.

Okunev I.

Understanding ‘sovereignty' as one and indivisible substance is very convenient for politicians and lawyers, but in the modern political reality it is hardly achievable. Alternative approaches to sovereignty, which imply the possibility of blending the legal systems of different states in the same territory, considerably expand opportunities for resolving territorial disputes. In this article vast historical material is used to illustrate the experience of implementing various models of territorial governance, such as an associated state, transboundary region, sovereign region, leased territory, free territory, no-man's territory, buffer zone, temporary administration, condominium, and commune. The described set of options may help break the deadlock in negotiations on almost any territorial dispute, provided the parties concerned have the political will to achieve a peaceful compromise.

Keywords: political geography, territorial disputes, conflict studies