This open access book is the first of its kind to address a question of both theoretical and practical significance: how do countries or entities approach economic cooperation in the face of vexing political concerns and overlapping sovereignty claims?

Built upon three contemporary case studies on North-South Korea, China-Taiwan, and North-South Cyprus – representative pairs of 'divided nations', broadly defined – the book explores from both an empirical and a conceptual perspective the underlying factors, approaches and patterns that influence the economic relationship between the two sides.

The book examines complex dynamics and identifies critical factors across the case studies, making a timely contribution to debates surrounding sovereignty, democracy and legitimacy in the context of international economic laws given the shifting geopolitical landscape. It further informs countries that do not share the same features of divided nations but nonetheless experience diplomatic crises or military conflicts, which render their economic cooperation sensitive and strenuous.

This book is a must-read for researchers, trade lawyers, and students in international law and international relations. It also serves as a valuable asset for negotiators, diplomats and policymakers, providing crucial insights for making decisions that can either escalate or de-escalate geopolitical conflicts.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Academia Sinica Thematic Program.