The idea of state responsibility is central to modern politics and international relations. States are blamed for wars, punished with sanctions, held liable for debts and reparations, and bound by treaties. But why do we assign some responsibilities to whole states rather than to individual leaders or citizens? And what does it mean to hold a state (as opposed to a nation, government, or people) responsible in the first place? The purpose of this book is to excavate and develop forgotten answers to these questions from the political thought of Thomas Hobbes. Its central claim is that Hobbes’ conception of the state as an “artificial person” is the key to understanding state responsibility, both theoretically and historically. The book uses Hobbes’ ideas to shed new light on contemporary forms of state responsibility, from treaty obligations to historical reparations.

The book will be the first monograph in political theory about state responsibility, as well as the first work that covers both the ethical and legal aspects of the subject. The primary audience will be the large and interconnected group of political theorists, philosophers, and International Relations (IR) scholars who work on collective action and responsibility. The book will also appeal to some international lawyers and historians of political thought.