Westphalia at the edge of chaos? The nation-state and the 9/11 frontiers of change

• Main Author: Canlas, Felipe C., III
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2005
• Subjects: International relations; Nation-state; Terrorism; Westphalians; International Relations
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/13160
• Institution: De La Salle University

The events of September 11 at first appeared to have changed the structure of the international order. This led some International Relations scholars to declare that with the fall of the two towers came the breakdown of the classical Westphalian state system. As a result of this, our understanding of the world constructed around the rules and norms of Westphalia must also come to pass. This article looks at the impact of 9/11 on International Relations theorizing, examining specifically the claim that events following the 9/11 attacks have necessitated the creation ofa “new” international order far different from the one established based on the norms of Westphalia. The article contextualizes the discussion on the new breed of international terrorism within the debate over the prospects of a “new” international order as explained by post-9/11 theorists. The article concludes that the changes trumpeted by the same scholars as heralding the coming of a new post 9/11 international order are not revolutionary as proclaimed. Instead, these are actually evolutionary in nature and thus, do not result in a complete change in international system.