In this module, our class will explore the legal criteria required for a nation-state to exist under international law. Once these criteria are established, we will engage in a debate: Can a state lose its status due to the effects of climate change? To ground our discussion, we will examine the real-world challenges faced by the Pacific island nation of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas).

While international organizations play a central role in shaping and promoting international public law, other actors—such as individuals, corporations, and non-governmental organizations—also influence global affairs. However, international law primarily recognizes states as its core subjects. The foundational legal framework for defining statehood is the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, signed in Uruguay in 1933. 

The Montevideo Convention remains the most widely accepted legal standard for determining statehood. Since its adoption, no state has officially lost its status solely due to failing to meet these criteria. However, as climate change threatens the physical territory of some states, this precedent may be challenged. Our class will debate under what conditions—if any—a state could lose its status. 

Kiribati is a sovereign state in the central Pacific Ocean, comprising 21 inhabited islands and 12 uninhabited atolls. It lies northeast of Australia and spans a vast maritime area across the equator. The islands were originally settled by Austronesian peoples around 3000 BCE and later influenced by Samoan migration in the 14th century. In the 19th century, the British colonized the islands, naming them the Gilbert Islands, and began extracting phosphate, a key resource for industrial agriculture. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu) were administered jointly, but religious and ethnic differences—Catholicism in the Gilberts and Protestantism in the Ellice—led to divergent identities. During World War II, Japan occupied Banaba Island, a major phosphate source, and committed atrocities against its inhabitants. After the war, the British resettled many Banabans on Rabi Island in Fiji, citing war-related devastation—though phosphate mining continued on Banaba. 

In the 1970s, Gilbertese activists sued the British government for a greater share of phosphate profits and environmental reparations. Facing declining yields and legal pressure, Britain granted independence. In 1979, the Republic of Kiribati was established, with the name derived from the local pronunciation of "Gilberts." Kiribati adopted a presidential system with a unicameral legislature of fewer than 50 members. With depleted phosphate reserves and limited agricultural capacity, the economy now relies heavily on fishing, seafaring remittances, and foreign aid. According to U.S. estimates, nearly one-third of Kiribati’s budget is funded by aid from entities including the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, the U.S., the Asian Development Bank, and Taiwan. Kiribati recognizes Taiwan (Republic of China) in exchange for aid, and British Petroleum leases space in its exclusive economic zone. Japan also built a satellite tracking station in the country in the 1990s.

As the global climate continues to warm, the World Bank warns that Kiribati and its more than 100,000 inhabitants will be among the most vulnerable states as many of the islands are only meters above the present sea levels. As waves filled with salt water hit the shores, saltwater salinates any available groundwater and ruins any crops. Further, with more tropical storms and degraded coral reefs, large waves will further erode any habitable land.

While world powers have summit meetings to negotiate treaties on reducing and mitigating the effects of carbon emissions, the i-Kiribati (pronounced ee-kiribas) are debating how to survive as a nation-state. One option the Kiribati government has promoted is “migration with dignity.” This program works with countries like Australia and New Zealand to ease visa requirements for the i-Kiribati people. In return, the Kiribati government focuses on educational opportunities for its people that offer skills demanded by other states (e.g., healthcare and human services). A second step the government has taken is to purchase land in Fiji. In 2014, Kiribati purchased nearly 6,000 acres in Fiji for an estimated $9.3 million. Unlike the Fijian island of Rabi, where Kiribati was displaced earlier, this tract of land is in a more forested mountain region of the second largest island in Fiji, Vanua Levu, where the new residents attempt to cultivate taro and coconut. 

In this highly interactive and collaborative course, we will work as teams to address our world's issues by preparing for and running political simulations. Political simulations are active learning approaches that encourage students to inhabit the multitude of actors in the global political system (e.g., states and non-state actors). Within these roles, students will work in groups to understand the challenges facing certain actors, identify motivations and strategic choices, and create possible paths forward. Though simulations take place in the second week of each module, all class periods and assignments build toward these events. Please take a look at the syllabus for a list of the exact dates.

For your purposes, I have for you below (1) a key debate question, (2) roles each student will play in a simulation (on a rotating basis), and (3) a list of the 25 groups that will be participating in this simulation. Your name will appear below once you have chosen/been assigned to your small group on the first day. NOTE: for most modules, you will likely need to conduct outside research to be fully prepared to understand your group's role in the simulation.