More I/P chatter

I'vew been weighing on a (so far) quite civilized I/P diary at Daily Kos. Two of my comments:

Put it this way

Both Israel and Palestine have a right to exist, but also an obligation to co-exist.

And

Yes, states are a useful fiction

The Westphalian-era sovereign state provides the foundation for legal jurisdiction. All kinds of modern conventions stem from that. The "existence" of such a state ultimately depends by recognition of other such states. International "law" is a corresponding useful fiction produced by the community of people who claim authority as agents of those sovereign states.

Fiction? Yes. Useful? Very.