ABSTRACT
Changes in the function of boundaries throughout history help to illuminate differences in the nature and patterns of interactions of different domestic and international systems. Such a clarification has become important for the analysis of international relations at a time when the world system appears to be characterised by two conflicting trends. On the one hand, we observe the virtually universal recognition of territorial sovereignty as the organising principle of international politics. On the other hand, because of the growth of transnational relations and interdependencies, there is a tendency toward erosion of the exclusivity associated with the traditional notion of territoriality. This disjunction between the organising principles and social reality creates dilemmas for conflict management. An investigation of these tensions and of the varying patterns in which they manifest themselves in different international systems is therefore of historical as well as analytical interest.
