The Era of Blurred Borders and Patrimonial Realignment (legrandcontinent.eu)

• Transition from rational-legal sovereignty to patrimonial, ruler-centric state control.
• Territorial claims on allies (Canada, Denmark) indicate the erosion of fixed international borders.
• The emergence of a global network of 'patrimonial' leaders seeking an informal, personalized world order.

"The second Trump administration is signaling a fundamental departure from the liberal-legal international order, replacing it with a 'patrimonial' view of statehood. By framing territories—such as Greenland or Canadian regions—as negotiable assets rather than legally fixed borders, the U.S. is adopting a model historically characteristic of personalistic regimes. Drawing on Max Weber’s theory, the article argues that this shift prioritizes the ruler’s patrimony over international law, creating a global trend of 'blurred borders' where sovereign states are treated as private estates to be partitioned among a club of like-minded authoritarian leaders."