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Defining Statehood: Law, Legitimacy, and Global Power
September 4 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
What Does It Mean to Be a State in the 21st Century?
The definition of statehood remains one of the most complex and contested questions in international law and global politics. While the 1933 Montevideo Convention offers a four-part framework—population, territory, government, and capacity for international relations—real-world statehood is shaped just as much by recognition, legitimacy, and geopolitical power.
In today’s multipolar world, where contested territories, partial recognition, and non-state actors challenge traditional norms, how do we define what it means to be a state?
Join The World Affairs Council for a virtual panel discussion featuring leading experts in international law, diplomacy, and global governance. Together, we’ll explore:
- Competing theories of sovereignty—declarative vs. constitutive
- The role of recognition and effective governance in state legitimacy
- How legal frameworks are adapting to new global realities
- The impact of these debates on foreign policy and conflict resolution
Whether you’re a legal scholar, policy professional, student of international relations, or simply curious about how the world defines its borders and actors—this conversation is for you.
Speakers
Diane Marie Amann, Professor, Regent University
Diane Marie Amann is Regents’ Professor of International Law and holds the Emily & Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law at the University of Georgia School of Law. Since she joined the Georgia Law faculty in 2011, Amann has taught Constitutional Law, Public International Law, International Human Rights, Laws of War, NATO, Children & International Law, Refugee & Asylum Law, Criminal Law, International Criminal Law and Transnational Criminal Law.
Gezim Visoka, Associate Dean of Research and Professor, Dublin City University
Gezim Visoka is Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU). Dr Visoka is a leading international scholar on statehood and state recognition, and post-conflict peacebuilding and statebuilding. His research focuses on the making, remaking, and unmaking of states and peace processes in contemporary world politics.
Moderator
Ricky Bevington, President, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Rickey Bevington is an Emmy award-winning journalist, President of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, and Executive in Residence at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business. In 2024, Bevington was selected as a Delegate to the British American Project. She was a 2022-2023 Leadership Fellow of the International Women’s Forum. In 2023, Georgia Trend recognized her as one of the “Georgia 500: The State’s Most Influential Leaders.” Prior to joining the Council, Bevington spent two decades as an acclaimed television and radio broadcaster with Georgia Public Broadcasting, PBS Newshour, National Public Radio (NPR), Marketplace, Connecticut Public Radio, WFSB TV-3, Sundance Channel, and Showtime Networks. Bevington is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
