This volume considers one of the biggest questions of our time, namely, how did we arrive at this historical and institutional expression of political community? And what alternative future world orders exist? The scope of this volume includes accounts of the development of both the European and non-European experiences.

A group of leading academics considers how the European states system developed as the historical and institutional expression of political community. The scope of this volume is broad, including conventional accounts of the development of the European states system as well as the non-European experience. In particular, it inquires as to how and why a states system triumphed over other forms of political organization.