| In examining the role of international law in the resolution of territorial disputes, this dissertation develops multiple contending hypotheses from three theoretical approaches of International Relations (IR)---Realism, International Institutionalism, and Democratic Norms. In so doing, the dissertation advances the debate among International Relations scholars in two ways. First, the dissertation develops the theoretical debate regarding the extent to which international law influences the behavior of states in territorial disputes. Second, the dissertation strengthens what is, at present, limited empirical data on issues of international law in politics. As a result, the conclusion offers a sound basis by which to assess the explanatory power of the three dominant IR theoretical models. Moreover, the dissertation bridges a disciplinary gap between legal scholars and political scientists.; This disciplinary bridge is built largely upon the general finding that international law plays a substantial role in the decision-making of both target states and challengers of territorial disputes. Hypotheses derived from both the Realist theoretical approach as well as the International Institutionalist approach offer explanations for why state leaders behave as they do when confronted with a territorial dispute. The hypotheses derived from the Democratic Norms theoretical approach, however, have no statistically significant findings. As a result, the dissertation concludes that Realist and Institutionalist scholars should seek to offer a more integrative and inclusive approach to their theoretical models, taking into account the significant contributions of both models. The Democratic Norms theorists, however, should refine their theoretical model by revising their stark division between democratic and autocratic states. The empirical findings disprove the assumption that democratic states will behave differently from non-democratic states in their attempt to resolve territorial disputes and in the attention they pay to the tenets of international law. The inextricable link between international law and state power can no longer be ignored by political scientists. This dissertation provides a solid basis for further inquiry into this dynamic disciplinary relationship. |
