"This book explores the way in which new states emerge in the modern international system. While the subject of secession and state creation has rarely been so newsworthy - especially in light of the 2022 war in Ukraine and other conflicts in the international system - recent events in places such as Kosovo, Catalonia and Kurdistan have highlighted just how difficult it is to create a new country in the modern international system. Although there are now 193 members of the United Nations, just ten states have joined the organisation in the past quarter century. This leads to the obvious question: why is it so hard for territories to gain independence? Using a concise question and answer format, this book explains the evolution of international thinking on secession and state creation and clearly explains the key concepts underpinning the political and legal debates on statehood. To illustrate the points, it draws on many of the most important independence movements over the past two hundred years. It then considers the key attributes of statehood. For example, what institutions does a state need? Does it have to have its own currency and armed forces? It also explains how a new state becomes a part of the wider international system. Finally, it considers whether the international community will rethink its long-standing opposition to secession and open the way for a new era of state creation"--