All
Just War Theory and Autonomous Weapons Systems
Political Philosophy

Just War Theory and Autonomous Weapons Systems

When algorithms pull the trigger, who answers for the dead?

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
Just War Theory in an Age of Asymmetric Conflict
Political Philosophy

Just War Theory in an Age of Asymmetric Conflict

When enemies reject the rules of war, traditional ethics face their most difficult examination.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
The Refugee as Political Philosopher: What Displacement Reveals About Citizenship
Political Philosophy

The Refugee as Political Philosopher: What Displacement Reveals About Citizenship

Displacement exposes what citizenship conceals: that our most fundamental rights depend on political membership we never chose.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
6 min read
Why Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism Need Not Conflict
Political Philosophy

Why Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism Need Not Conflict

How thin cosmopolitanism and liberal nationalism can reinforce rather than rival each other

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
Democratic Peace Theory and Its Philosophical Foundations
Political Philosophy

Democratic Peace Theory and Its Philosophical Foundations

Why the claim that democracies don't fight each other may rest on shakier philosophical foundations than we assume

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
6 min read
The Moral Standing of Future Generations in Global Governance
Political Philosophy

The Moral Standing of Future Generations in Global Governance

Why future generations deserve voice in global decisions—and how political theory might provide it

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
8 min read
Why State Consent Cannot Ground International Law
Political Philosophy

Why State Consent Cannot Ground International Law

The foundations of international law lie deeper than state agreement, and recognizing this transforms how we understand global obligations.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
6 min read
Why Global Governance Requires New Conceptions of Representation
Political Philosophy

Why Global Governance Requires New Conceptions of Representation

Traditional electoral democracy cannot govern a world where decisions in one nation reshape lives across borders—new representational principles must emerge.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
The Problem of Secession in International Law
Political Philosophy

The Problem of Secession in International Law

How international law navigates the impossible collision between territorial integrity and self-determination when peoples seek their own states

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
8 min read
Why Humanitarian Intervention Remains Philosophically Contested
Political Philosophy

Why Humanitarian Intervention Remains Philosophically Contested

Unpacking the unresolved tensions between sovereignty, consistency, and reconstruction that make humanitarian intervention philosophically unstable despite its apparent moral clarity.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
Why Borders Need Justification: The Case for Open Borders
Political Philosophy

Why Borders Need Justification: The Case for Open Borders

Most political philosophy assumes borders as given—what happens when we ask whether they can be justified at all?

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
Why International Law Cannot Be Reduced to Power Politics
Political Philosophy

Why International Law Cannot Be Reduced to Power Politics

International law shapes what states can want, not just what they can do—understanding this constitutive power reveals why realist dismissals miss something essential.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
The Cosmopolitan Paradox: Why Global Justice Requires Local Loyalties
Political Philosophy

The Cosmopolitan Paradox: Why Global Justice Requires Local Loyalties

How local attachments become the unlikely foundation for genuine global justice—and why cosmopolitan theory needs roots to flourish.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
Why Westphalian Sovereignty No Longer Explains Global Politics
Political Philosophy

Why Westphalian Sovereignty No Longer Explains Global Politics

The 1648 framework that defined statehood for centuries now blinds us to how political authority actually operates in an interdependent world.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
Why Global Distributive Justice Differs From Domestic Justice
Political Philosophy

Why Global Distributive Justice Differs From Domestic Justice

The domestic analogy debate reveals whether national borders mark moral boundaries or arbitrary lines on a map demanding philosophical justification.

the water is crystal clear and blue
StateTheorist
7 min read
No more articles