A wholly original and illuminating perspective on the delineation and maintenance of nation-state boundaries. Starting from beguilingly simple premises of the need for governance and the logic of the cartel, Acharya and Lee clarify the logic behind much of the history of international relations. The insights it affords are likely to be the port of departure for much subsequent work.
Avidit Acharya is Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. His research is in the fields of political economy and game theory as it applies to the study of politics. He is the co-author of Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics.
Alexander Lee is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester. His research focuses on the politics of South Asia, the process of economic and political development, and the role of historical forces and events in shaping modern politics. He is the author of Development in Multiple Dimensions: Social Power and Regional Policy in India and From Hierarchy to Ethnicity: The Politics of Caste in Twentieth-Century
India.