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Smart treaties: A path to binding agreements in international relations?

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  • Niklas Valentin Lehmann

Abstract

Can we create binding agreements between nations? Recently, scholars have argued that blockchain technology enables us to do so. Given that this could greatly affect the anarchical world order implied by state sovereignty, this remarkable claim is investigated thoroughly. By focusing on the technical implementation of smart contracts between nations, this article finds that the potential to create binding agreements using blockchain technology is far more limited than recently suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • Niklas Valentin Lehmann, 2025. "Smart treaties: A path to binding agreements in international relations?," Papers 2503.21516, arXiv.org.
  • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2503.21516
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Alnasaa, Marwa & Gueorguiev, Nikolay & Honda, Jiro & Imamoglu, Eslem & Mauro, Paolo & Primus, Keyra & Rozhkov, Dmitriy, 2022. "Crypto-assets, corruption, and capital controls: Cross-country correlations," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
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