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It has been a busy six weeks in international relations. Since early December, there has been a case of attempted secession, the recognition of a previously unrecognized breakaway territory of a state, military action to prevent the potential fragmentation of another state, and the threat by one country to shear off the self-governing territory of another country through intimidation.

Let’s leave aside the Trump administration’s apparent effort to wrest control of Greenland. Yemen’s aborted southern secession, Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, and Ahmed al-Sharaa’s use of force to prevent Syria’s fracture all raise an important question for U.S. policymakers. Should the borders that we have come to know in the post-World War II/post-Cold War worlds be considered sacrosanct? Judging by the response to each of these episodes from the international community, the answer is yes. But with the “rupture” in the global order, it is worth considering whether this should always be the case.

It has been a busy six weeks in international relations. Since early December, there has been a case of attempted secession, the recognition of a previously unrecognized breakaway territory of a state, military action to prevent the potential fragmentation of another state, and the threat by one country to shear off the self-governing territory of another country through intimidation.

Let’s leave aside the Trump administration’s apparent effort to wrest control of Greenland. Yemen’s aborted southern secession, Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, and Ahmed al-Sharaa’s use of force to prevent Syria’s fracture all raise an important question for U.S. policymakers. Should the borders that we have come to know in the post-World War II/post-Cold War worlds be considered sacrosanct? Judging by the response to each of these episodes from the international community, the answer is yes. But with the “rupture” in the global order, it is worth considering whether this should always be the case.

In fact, the recent record suggests that policymakers should, under certain circumstances, relax their seemingly axiomatic opposition to secession. “It depends” is hardly a bold policy statement, but there are going to be times during the current interregnum between one global order and the next one when it will make sense to........

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