Revisiting Westphalia, Discovering Post-Westphalia

Abstract

This article explores the structure of world order from the perspective of the Treaty of Westphalia, which is treated as the benchmark for the emergence of the modern system of sovereign states. Emphasis is placed on Westphalia as historical event, idea and ideal, and process of evolution, and also on developments that supersede this framing of world politics, especially, globalization and the megaterrorist challenge of September 11, 2001. At issue is whether the state system is resilient enough to adapt to new global conditions or is in the process of being supplanted, and whether the sequel to Westphalia is moving toward humane global governance or some dysutopic variant, or both at once.