In the summer of 2025, nine Western States formally recognized the State of Palestine. This State recognition and the resurrection of the moribund so-called “two-State solution” is combined with a criminalization of calls to liberate Palestine “from the river to the sea.” This issue asks: can liberation ever take the form of a state?

The No-State Solution intends to revisit this concept in the context of Palestine in challenging the very idea of “solution” (Sophia Azeb & Rebecca Gross), but also in other liberation struggles such as the Kurdish (Havin Guneser) and Zapatista (Linda Quiquivix) ones. It warns us against state dreams, such as the ones implemented in Sierra Leone and Liberia (what William C. Anderson calls “Black Zionism” in his contribution), and questions the differences between State and community forms of governance, in particular when it comes to healthcare, as made evident in Cuba and Venezuela (Lisbeth Moya González). Finally, it envisions borderless, stateless futures in Aotearoa (Kai-rui Cheng) and Kanaky (Florenda Nirikani): Cover artwork by Samir Harb. More contributions by Ngọc Nâu, Keto Gorgadze, Rusmailia Lenggogeni, Courage Dzidula Kpodo, and Nils Andersson.

[publishers’ note]