How States Die

How States Die reconceptualizes the definitions of state and state death to reshape our understanding of why and how states die. By broadening the "state" to include "territorial contenders," which lack formal diplomatic recognition, Douglas Lemke challenges conventional wisdoms around state death, showing that state strength is not related to state death, and that victories in conflict do not coincide with longer state survival. The book provides an innovative way of thinking about state death, a phenomenon with massive consequences for the people of the affected state, its neighboring countries, and the international system as a whole.