Shows the central role struggles over individual rights played in the development of today's global system of sovereign states.

Christian Reus-Smit is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland. Among his previous books, he is author of American Power and World Order (2004) and The Moral Purpose of the State (1999); co-author of Special Responsibilities: Global Problems and American Power (2012); and editor of The Politics of International Law (2004).

Introduction; 1. The expansion of the international system; 2. Struggles for individual rights; 3. The Westphalian settlement; 4. The independence of Spanish America; 5. Post-1945 decolonization; Conclusion.