Throughout history, physical terrain, political fiat and conquest have divided the world into states with distinct territorial boundaries. These borders can be negotiated or enforced through a formal treaty. Those that are contested can result in cross-border tensions, or even a war.
Whether a dispute is over a natural resource or a geographic feature, most boundary disputes are driven by material and cultural claims. They may also arise from changes in domestic politics and/or the geopolitical games of great powers.
This encyclopedia uses a number of case studies to demonstrate how the five determinants (resource scarcity, locational feature, domestic politics, geopolitical competition and cultural difference) influence border disputes. In some cases, these factors are present simultaneously. For example, the escalation of the Cambodia-Thailand conflict reflects both domestic and international forces that have fanned the dispute on both sides. The same applies to the Sino-Indian border dispute, where both countries are pursuing economic interests in the region.
In other cases, only one factor is at play. The famous Chamizal dispute in El Paso/Juarez illustrates this. Both US and Mexican capitalists took advantage of ambiguities in the border land’s ownership, selling plots of land to developers under both American and Mexican titles. The unresolved dispute depressed rents and slowed development in the area.
Lastly, some boundary disputes are not resolved by either negotiation or force and need to be arbitrated by a third party like the United Nations. This encyclopedia includes entries on these types of disputes as well, and provides excerpts from selected primary documents. Overall, this encyclopedia is an excellent effort to streamline incredibly complex geopolitical issues into researchable entry points. It is clear, concise and easy to read, and would be useful for high school and undergraduate students as well as those working in the field of foreign policy.
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