State Building, Citizenship and Statelessness

In the aftermath of political transformations in Central and Eastern Europe, and of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia, citizenship has again become a critically important human rights issue. The dissolution of these states has resulted, in many instances, in the redefinition by the state of the relationship between the individual and the community. These definitions are reflected in new citizenship and aliens laws. The new laws may, however, lead to statelessness or imposed citizenship as well as significant population displacement across international borders. State Building, Citizenship and Statelessness examines the international legal dimensions of issues of statelessness. It is designed to be used by lawyers, jurists, academics, policymakers and officials who seek to understand the application of these precepts of international law in transitional societies.