Faith in the State? Traditions of Territoriality, International Law and the Emergence of Modern Arab Statehood

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009 DOI: 10.1163/157180509X421377 Faith in the State? Traditions of Territoriality, International Law and the Emergence of Modern Arab Statehood Michelle Burgis* Lecturer in the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews, Scotland 1. Introduction Contemporary events invariably shape interpretations of the past and international legal scholarship about traditions of statehood across the Arab world is no exception. Perhaps as a result of numerous examples of disrespect for the territorial state from both within and beyond the Arab world, it is not surprising that traditions of territoriality are presented as particularly weak and fragile. Confl