Course info

The notion that sovereign states are homogenous and composed of a distinct people has long been recognised as incompatible with the diversity of modern societies and a somewhat false representation of the contemporary state. This is as much the case in authoritarian, hybrid, or non-democratic states as it is in established liberal democracies. In contexts where there is ethnic conflict, territorial disputes, and movements for self-determination, the Westphalian model of state sovereignty is even more contentious.

 

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students would be able to:

·       Demonstrate an understanding of the ‘two-state solution’ model for Israel/Palestine in light of events since the 7^th October 2023

·       Produce a critique of the literature on confederal/federal models for post-conflict contexts

·       Develop a comparative analysis of ‘lessons learnt’ for Israel/Palestine from other post-conflict contexts

Whilst there are examples of recent post-war peace-processes that have started from the premise of varying degrees of federated power or shared sovereignty (e.g. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland), proposals for a resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict have, at least since the 1993 Oslo Accords, adopted a model of self-determination for both peoples within separate sovereign nation states.

Debating the theoretical rationale of the two-state model even prior to the 7^th October attack and the current cycle of violence was forced to confront the reality that the growth of the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and the systematic expulsion of Palestinians from their land invalidates the emergence of a singular, viable and sovereign Palestinian state. Moreover, any attempt to divide the territory into two states (involving land swaps or returning to pre-1967 borders) must confront a complex array of economic, resource, demographic and cultural realities that will require lengthy negotiations and future management.

Drawing on both the political science literature on confederal models, and the work of Iris Marion Young and Hannah Arendt, the course will explore various models of shared sovereignty and how they might be implemented in the context of a post-conflict Israel/Palestine. We will begin with a critical review of the ‘two-state solution’ model that emerged from the Oslo Accords, followed by a comparative analysis of other post-conflict models of shared sovereignty (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka) and discuss ‘lessons learnt’ for Israel/Palestine. The final part of the course will explore in detail how a confederal / shared sovereignty model might be implemented, its core premise, and the various obstacles likely to constrain its implementation.