Disputes over territory are among the most persistent and intractable in international politics. They are also more likely to become militarized and to escalate into global wars compared to other kinds of interstate conflict. Moreover, territorial disputes are more likely to cause immense human suffering. The two World Wars and the experiences of European colonialism in Africa and elsewhere, are all examples of territorial disputes that became highly destructive.
What constitutes a territorial dispute is a central issue in the study of territorial conflicts. Some scholars define a territorial dispute as a disagreement over the location of borders, while others take a broader view by contesting the right even to exercise sovereignty over a particular piece of land. Both of these approaches have important implications for the study of territorial conflict resolution.
The Correlates of War project (CoW) has a data set that coded territorial disputes, but it is difficult to disentangle the various issues involved in a conflict. In the context of CoW, a territorial dispute is a conflict that involves the use or threat of force and meets other criteria for inclusion in the dataset. This definition excludes disputes that may not have been militarized and, therefore, might not meet some definition of war.
Another approach is to examine how states manage the settlement of their territorial disputes. The process of legal settlement provides a clear signal of respect for international law and intentions to follow rules of behavior. It is thus a potential means to limit the risk of future conflict and achieve peace, stability, and prosperity.