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

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. • The potential of blockchain technology to create binding treaties is examined. • The ability to create binding agreements is more limited than previously suggested. • Nations are unlikely to adopt smart contracts in international relations.