Preview: Chapter 3 of Territorial Disputes in the Americas
Territorial Disputes in the Americas (releasing August 20, 2025) offers a transformative lens on conflicts shaping our continent. Chapter 3, “Pluralism of Pluralisms and the Multidimensional Approach,” introduces a novel framework for understanding sovereignty and territorial disputes, moving beyond fragmented analyses. As part of my 10-week chapter reveal series, this preview, grounded in my ongoing work, explores the chapter’s core ideas. Join me to reimagine how we assess disputes like those in the Falklands/Malvinas, Amazon, or Antarctica!
The Pluralism of Pluralisms
Chapter 3 introduces “pluralism of pluralisms,” a concept recognizing the multifaceted nature of territorial disputes. This framework encompasses multiple pluralisms: agents (individuals, communities, states), players (roles like hosts, participants, attendees, viewers), contexts (domestic, regional, international), realms (factual, normative, axiological), and modes of existence (ideal, natural, cultural, metaphysical). Unlike unidimensional views that focus solely on states or legal aspects, this approach acknowledges the complexity of disputes. For example, the Falklands/Malvinas dispute involves not just Argentina and the UK (states) but also islanders (community) and their self-determination claims (axiological), shaped by historical (factual) and legal (normative) factors across regional and international contexts.
Agents and Players
The chapter challenges the state-centric focus of traditional scholarship by including individuals and communities as key agents. In the Amazon, for instance, indigenous groups, NGOs, and corporations interact alongside states, each with distinct interests. These agents assume roles: hosts (essential parties with colorable claims, e.g., states in the San Andrés dispute), participants (conditionally accepted, e.g., Raizal community), attendees (recognized but sidelined), or viewers (uninvolved). Game theory illustrates this, as in the Falklands, where Argentina’s misjudgment of the UK’s resolve led to conflict, highlighting the need to account for diverse roles to avoid oversimplified analyses.
Contexts and Their Influence
Disputes operate across domestic, regional, and international contexts, each shaping their dynamics. The Mexico–United States border dispute, for example, involves domestic nationalism, regional migration issues, and international human rights concerns. The Falklands/Malvinas case links to Antarctica’s resources, affecting global geopolitics. Chapter 3 argues that all contexts must be considered to capture disputes’ complexity, as unidimensional focus on one (e.g., legal borders) misses broader influences like economic blockades or regional organizations like the OAS.
Realms and Modes of Existence
The chapter identifies three realms—factual (empirical reality, e.g., territorial control), normative (legal frameworks, e.g., UN Charter’s sovereign equality), and axiological (value-based choices, e.g., cooperation vs. conflict). These realms shape perceptions, as seen in the unequal application of sovereign equality, where stronger states may dominate weaker ones despite legal norms. Additionally, disputes involve modes of existence: ideal (e.g., game theory models), natural (e.g., shifting river boundaries), cultural (e.g., territorial integrity principles), and metaphysical (e.g., religious claims to land). Recognizing these ensures a holistic analysis, avoiding fragmented conclusions.
Multidimensional Approach
The multidimensional approach, introduced in Núñez (2023), centers on the object itself—its pluralisms and interrelations—rather than disciplinary lenses. Unlike unidimensional approaches that prioritize legal or political perspectives, this method integrates linear (traditional, e.g., vertical hierarchies in state sovereignty) and nonlinear (unconventional, e.g., chaotic influences like nationalism) dimensions. For instance, a linear view might see the San Andrés dispute as a legal issue, while a nonlinear view considers emotional factors like Raizal identity, offering richer insights for resolution.
Variables: Time and Space
Chapter 3 examines time and space as variables influencing disputes. Time includes eternalist (permanent, e.g., God-given claims) and non-eternalist (changeable, e.g., settlement-based claims) perspectives, affecting how agents view sovereignty’s permanence. Space encompasses physical (land), social (hierarchies), and mental (conceptual) dimensions, as seen in the Falklands’ strategic maritime role. These variables contextualize disputes, preventing anachronistic or geographically limited analyses.
A Blueprint for Analysis
The chapter concludes with a blueprint integrating these pluralisms, applied in later chapters to cases like Guatemala-Belize and Antarctica. This framework ensures comprehensive assessments, moving beyond fragmented scholarship to foster innovative peacebuilding solutions.
Get a Sneak Peek
Dive deeper at https://drjorge.world with posts like “What Is a Territorial Dispute?” and “Antarctica.” Follow my weekly reveals on X https://x.com/DrJorge_World (#TerritorialDisputes) and share your thoughts! Order details below!
NOTE:
New posts every Thursday.
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Preview Chapter 4: Common Roots to Territorial Disputes in the Americas– Traces disputes from pre-Columbian to post-independence eras, highlighting colonial legacies.
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AUTHOR’S SAMPLE PEER-REVIEWED ACADEMIC RESEARCH (FREE OPEN ACCESS):
State Sovereignty: Concept and Conceptions (OPEN ACCESS) (IJSL 2024)
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Thursday 14th August 2025
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
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