One of the surprises in our increasingly globalized world is that the attachments to territory of individuals, ethnic groups, and governments have not appeared to weaken significantly. Governments have remained vigilant about the exact demarcation of their territorial boundaries even as goods and people move ever more seamlessly across these borders. Governments have also continued to fight for territory even as their wealth and security have become increasingly disconnected from it. Indonesia, for example, spent millions of dollars fighting to retain East Timor even though this was more than they could ever hope to recoup from any offshore oil reserves. And emigrants from places like Eritrea and Ireland continue to maintain close political and economic ties with their homelands even though many of them know they will never return. Territorial boundaries may have become more permeable, and the material and strategic value of land may have become less significant, but people's attachment to particular pieces of territory does not seem to have declined.

This paradox has been the focus of this volume. In the book, we have attempted to explain how territorial attachments are constructed, why they have remained so powerful in the face of an increasingly globalized world, and what effect continuing strong attachments may have on conflict. Each of the chapters has examined a different element of the inter-relationship between territoriality, globalization, and conflict, yet one common conclusion stands out.