Abstract

This dissertation examines how external actors and events shape territorial disputes and their influence on domestic public opinion. While traditional approaches to international relations treat territorial conflicts as isolated bilateral interactions, I argue that disputes are interconnected across international actors and domestic arenas. Thus, external actors and proximate disputes influence how conflicts start and domestic foreign policy attitudes. The first chapter shows how borders imposed by third-party actors capture unstable political and geographical features that lead to border instability. Using original historical data and a unique typology of borders, I find that borders imposed by external actors increase the likelihood of territorial disputes and militarized conflict, but this effect is tempered over time as de facto boundaries become normalized as international institutions. In the second chapter, I argue that territorial disputes have spillover effects on domestic public opinion. Using two original experiments in India, I find that informing respondents of a prior peaceful resolution that India negotiated modestly increases their support for peaceful settlement with any of India’s other neighbors, but exposure to violence increases support for military action and sharply reduces support for a peaceful settlement with all of India’s neighbors. These results highlight the interconnected nature of territorial disputes and demonstrate the implications for regional security. In the final chapter, I examine how the onset of violence in territorial conflicts shapes public perceptions of the state and key domestic issues. Using a natural experiment in India, I find that conflict reduces concern about corruption or the economy and erodes trust in the state. However, leaders can recover lost trust by successfully negotiating a settlement to the conflict. Together, these papers advance our understanding of territorial conflict and the implications for domestic audiences by considering the interconnected nature of territorial disputes.

Committee Chair

David Carter

Committee Members

Deniz Aksoy, Carly Wayne; Christopher Clary; Ted Enamorado

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Political Science

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

4-21-2026

Language

English (en)

Author's ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9921-7704

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