Rejecting the view that states may be studied in isolation from one another, and proceeding from the assumption that political theory and international theory are part of a single continuum, this collection of essays employs both comparative method and an international perspective to assess what is happening to the chief political form of our time. In doing so, it questions recent major approaches of European and American scholarship which have tended to view the state as a formation serving capital, interests or classes. The approach of these essays is legal and constitutional, highlighting the changing nature of political communities and changing patterns of government.

1. Introduction: The State as Contested Concept in International Relations Cornelia Navari 2. Reality and Illusion in the Acquisition of Statehood Willie Henderson 3. The Variety of States James Mayall 4. Foreign Policy and the Domestic Factor Brian Porter 5. Diplomacy and the Modern State Christopher Hill 6. The State and Integration John Baker and Martin Kolinsky 7. The State and War Philip Windsor 8. On the Withering Away of the State Cornelia Navari 9. Hegel, Civil Society and the State John Charvet 10. What Ought to be Done about the Condition of States? Mervyn Frost 11. The Duties of Liberal States Christopher Brewin 12. States, Food and the World Common Interest Michael Donelan