Territorial dispute is a disagreement between states about the ownership and control of territory (land, water or airspace). They are often related to the control of natural resources (water, fertile farmland, oil and minerals) although they can be driven by religion, culture and ethnic nationalism. Disputes can be peaceful or violent and are usually accompanied by international conflict, diplomatic tensions and international arbitration.
The issue of territorial disputes has a long history in the study of International relations and many scholars have addressed the problem. However, there are a number of issues that remain unclear. First, there are a wide range of definitions for what constitutes a territorial dispute. Some scholars, such as Hensel, use a more narrow definition of territorial disputes: a revisionist demand that has the potential to lead to militarized conflict. Others use a more broad set of criteria, including disputes over the existence or delimitation of a border and claims based on cultural heritage. This broader set of criteria is more likely to include cases that have not yet reached the level of militarized conflict.
There is also a problem with the availability of data on territorial disputes. Most existing data sets are focused on violent conflict and only cover a limited time period, restricting comparative longitudinal analysis. Newer data sets are generating more interest, but even these are not well suited to identifying territorial disputes. For example, the International Conflict Data (ICD) project has a coding system for issues but it is difficult to disentangle territorial from other types of conflicts.