This chapter explores how borders are determined in newly emerging countries following the breakup of previous nations, with a focus on the former Soviet Union as an illustration. It discusses the international law principle that dictates borders align with the largest pre-existing administrative unit, streamlining the border establishment process in such cases.
To international law expert Eugene Kontorovich of George Mason University, all the arguments that make Israel out to be an occupying force collapse under the weight of a single, simple fact: A country cannot occupy territory to which it has a legal claim. Listen as Kontorovich speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the legal issues surrounding occupation as well as the moral issues of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. They also discuss the crazy-quilt legal environment of jurisdiction in the West Bank in the aftermath of the Oslo Accords of 1993. Finally, they explore the likely outcomes of current proposals for a Palestinian state in the West Bank.