Beyond Maximalism: The Role of Domestic Political Institutions in the Making and Reception of Excessive State Claims

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Maximalist claims over territory and other goods abound in global politics, yet we lack a basic understanding of what makes a claim maximalist, what factors drive maximalist claims, and how they can be countered. While Russian claims concerning Ukraine’s foreign policy and territorial integrity as well as Chinese claims to the entirety of the South China Sea strike most citizens, analysts, and policymakers as maximalist, the conceptual distinctions between such claims and other, more ordinary claims have not been made in the international relations or law scholarships. Lacking a conceptual basis, we also do not know much about how to study the causes and consequences of maximalist claims. This project is a valuable first step in the direction of analytically rigorous and policy-relevant studies on excessive claims and ways to counter them. The proposed research defines maximalist claims as those that ostensibly go beyond the relevant rules of international law and claims made by other states. It aims to collect original data on all maximalist territorial and maritime claims in the post-World War II period. Bridging comparative politics and international security scholarship, it will formulate and test hypotheses linking domestic political institutions with the making and reception of maximalist claims. Moreover, it will seek to adduce experimental evidence to the mechanisms underlying perceptions of maximalism and formulation of appropriate responses. Throughout, the main objective of the project will be to understand how regime type influences interactions over maximalist claims involving both states and international organizations. This contribution is particularly timely given the rise of authoritarian regimes and authoritarian tendencies even in otherwise established democracies. Supported by robust communication and dissemination activities, these studies will advance the scholarship on multiple fronts and provide valuable input for policymaking processes.