Dream States: A Lurking Nightmare for World Order

Around the world, numerous communities seek the protections of sovereignty--a "dream state" of their own--to preserve their traditional way of life. However, these secessionist movements create risk of prolonged conflict in countries of every size and location, from tiny statelets in the Caribbean or Pacific to large and fragile multiethnic federations like Russia, India, and even the United States. Dream States asks and answers two questions: How serious is the danger of separatist conflict? And what can be done about it? Using diverse examples from recent history, Benjamin J. Cohen guides readers through types of dream states, some harmless and others more threatening. Cohen argues that abandoning the traditional dichotomous conceptualization of statehood, which insists that communities are either fully sovereign or else completely subordinate, presents the best way to reduce the threat of violent conflict. Given the increasing emphasis on territorial and ethnic identity in political movements throughout the world, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in separatism and why it poses a threat to peace and international order.

Table of Contents:
Prologue Abbreviations and Acronyms Part. I Setting the stage 1: Pretenders to Sovereignty 2: Supply and Demand Part. II A separatist's guide 3: The Disunited States of America 4: Fantasies 5: Daydreams 6: Drexits 7: Rebels with a Cause 8: Clients Part. III Future hot spots 9: Familiar Faces 10: Special Cases 11: Fragile Federations 12: Russia 13: India Part. IV Solutions? 14: The Challenge 15: A Modest Proposal Notes References Index

About the Author :
Benjamin J. Cohen is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was the Louis G. Lancaster Professor of International Political Economy until retirement in 2021. He was educated at Columbia University, receiving a PhD in Economics in 1963. He began his career as a research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (1962-1964) and previously taught at Princeton University (1964-1971) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (1971-1991). He has also been a visiting professor at Harvard University, University College London, and the Institute of Political Study (Sciences-Po) in Paris. He is the author of nineteen previous books.

Review :
Civil wars pose serious challenges to international order, particularly those aimed at secession. Dream States takes a close look at this type of dispute and how it disrupts recognized borders. ...The text is written in a way that will inform a wide variety of audiences. ...Recommended.