Dependent territories are a puzzling phenomenon in international relations. From a high point of nearly 120 dependent territories at the outset of decolonization in 1950, 35 territories today remain possessions of another state. What explains why some territories remain dependencies? Why did some dependencies gain independence when others did not? Building on an original dataset of dependent political units administered by the Western colonial powers covering 1950-2024, Melissa Lee explores the endurance of dependency in international relations. What does it mean to be a state that failed to achieve – and in many cases, explicitly rejected – sovereign statehood.
** Please note: This event was originally titled "The Domestic Politics of International State-building: Evidence from Postwar Japan" and was scheduled to take place on October 28, 2024. **
This event is organized by the Seminar on European Development in a Historical Perspective. It is co-sponsored by the Democracy and Its Critics Initiative led by CES Director Daniel Ziblatt to focus on both the history and contemporary shape of democracy in Europe.
