Territorial Integrity As an Etiquette of Thieves: Non-conquest in Nineteenth-Century Imperialism
Journal: International Organization
Year: 2025

Abstract In the contemporary era, territorial conquest has been seen as illegitimate and has taken place in only limited ways. According to an influential narrative in scholarship and public debate, this “territorial integrity norm” is a product of the post-World War II international order and contrasts with the nineteenth century, when conquest was normalized and “might made right.” This essay argues, however, that nineteenth-century European international law imposed meaningful limitations on