‎ tates are sovereign when they exercise supreme control over
S
‎Supreme Control ‎what happens inside their borders.
‎What is sovereignty?
‎Internal sovereignty
‎External sovereignty
‎State sovereignty
‎and legitimacy
‎Montevideo Convention (1933)
‎Sovereignty
‎Claims of and Disputes
‎over Sovereignty
‎State sovereignty becoming
‎less Significant
‎State sovereignty still Significant
‎ tates are still the most important actor in
S ‎ tate sovereignty should be protected and the most
‎Realist ‎global politics, able to act independently and
‎protect their borders.
‎Theories
‎ tates still exist but cooperate with each
S ‎ tates maximize their security and
‎Liberal ‎other on both economic and political
‎matters.
‎ overeignty is defined as a state's ability to rule itself. States are
S
‎sovereign when they have full control and authority over what
‎happens inside their borders. Sovereignty is an essential principle
‎in global politics.
‎ tates should respect the sovereignty of other states, as well as
S
‎maintain and defend their own sovereignty. International
‎organizations, such as the United Nations, base their rules on
‎respect for state sovereignty.
‎ tates govern themselves
S ‎ hey can decide and enforce their own laws, collect taxes,
T
‎independently, having full ‎and spend the money raised on their own priorities and
‎responsibility for, and power over ‎needs, as well as decide their own trade policies and
‎what happens within their borders. ‎agreements with other countries.
‎ state with sovereignty has complete control over its own
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‎government and it has external sovereignty when it allows
‎other states control over what happens within their borders.
‎ tates generally respect each other's borders and
S
‎boundaries by not interfering or intervening in what
‎ ow states interact externally with
H ‎goes on within the borders of those states.
‎others and with international
‎organizations. ‎ tates may keep representations on other
S
‎states' internal actions through international
‎organisations or intergovernmental bodies
‎such as the UN.
‎ state's sovereignty is dependent on other states recognizing the state as a state. Different
A
‎groups such as Islamic State may call themselves as state, but if no other states or international
‎organizations recognize them as one, they cannot be considered a sovereign state.
I‎ nternational legitimacy is essential in order for a state to be considered
‎an independent sovereign country.
‎ egitimacy is commonly defined in political science and sociology as the belief that a
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‎rule, institution, or leader has the right to govern.
I‎ dentifying whether people live in ‎ sovereign state may suffer an insurgency, such
A
‎a permanent place, or whether the ‎as Iraq and Syria, leading to refugees fleeing the
‎a permanent population
‎population is less fixed, such as ‎country. In this sense the population is no longer
‎refugees. ‎permanent, but still a sovereign state.
I‎ dentifying territorial borders through
‎ any borders are disputed between nation
M ‎ on-state groups are
N
‎maps; decisions of the International Court of
‎states. For example, between Israel and the ‎increasingly taking
‎a defined territory and borders ‎Justice and international law which agree
‎Palestinian Territories or in the Kashmir ‎control of territory
‎ he Montevideo Convention (1933) outlined
T ‎state borders, or say when this borders are
‎region between India and Pakistan. ‎from nation states.
‎different features or aspects that a state ‎in dispute.
‎should have in order to be considered a
‎sovereign nation: I‎ dentifying whether a government ‎ ragile states, such as Somalia and the Democratic
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‎exists and whether it has full ‎Republic of Congo, do not have effective governments that
‎effective government
‎authority and control over the ‎have authority across the whole of the country. However,
‎state's territory. ‎they are still recognized sovereign states.
‎ aking diplomatic relations between states
T ‎ he European Union has its own High Representative
T
t‎ he capacity and legitimacy to enter into ‎through international summits, membership of ‎for Foreign Affairs and its own overseas aid budget,
‎relations with other states ‎international organizations, or bilateral and ‎which allows it to have an increasingly significant and
‎multilateral partnerships. ‎independent voice on the world stage.
‎ or example, the European Union has a single currency, flag, a parliament and a central bank. It also has a defined external border and the internal borders between its member
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‎states are large irrelevant. It has a foreign policy and is increasingly antering into relations with other states through its High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Even though the EU
‎is not an independent single nation state, it has many of the identifying features of independent states.
‎ he Montevideo Convention is used to determine whether a
T ‎ he United Nations is the key international body which agrees
T I‎ t is possible to gain independent statehood,
‎nation is a sovereign state, however there are many challenges ‎the legitimacy of state borders and makes rulings on borders that ‎usually by holding a referendum, and to become
‎to this method because some non-state groups conform to some ‎are contested. Being recognized as a state of the United Nations is ‎recognized by the UN. However, there are many
‎features of statehood. ‎the ultimate confirmation of independent statehood. ‎contested states and borders around the world.
I‎ n 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from the Republic of Serbia. There was not a referendum to ask the Kosovan
‎population directly whether they wanted Kosovo to be an independent state, and yet the United States and other countries
‎Kosovo
‎supported its decision to become independent. Even though this independence happened legally, the UN has not declared
‎Kosovo a full independent member state of the UN.
I‎ n 2014, the Russian Federation annexed the region of Crimea in Ukraine. A referendum was held, but the UN
‎declared the referendum illegitimate, due to the presence of Russian troops. Russia justified its actions using the
‎Crimea/Ukraine
‎example of Kosovo's independence, and even when the SC attempted to pass a resolution that declared the
‎referendum illegitimate, Russia vetoed this.
‎ hina said that it does not recognize the authority of the ICJ and will not comply with its decisions of
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‎expanding its territorial waters in the South China Sea. The United States Navy sent warships to carry out
‎South China Sea
‎regular "freedom of navigation" patrols through waters that China claims as its own, but that the United States
‎considers to be international waters.
‎ tates are affected by issues that
S ‎ limate change, global terrorism and
C
‎Borders are decreasing in significance
‎cross borders. ‎migration.
‎ ultinational corporations have a lot of
M
‎ conomic globalization is reducing the
E ‎ tates are reducing barriers to
S
‎power and can force states to change their
‎economic importance of states ‎trade and to join trade agreements
‎economic policies in return for investment.
I‎ GOs are becoming more numerous and ‎ he European Union has supranational powers and can
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‎more powerful ‎make laws and enforce them on its member states.
‎ xternal intervention by states acting unilaterally or through IGOs has been
E
I‎ nternational conventions no longer regard
‎used against Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Pakistan (2011), Libya (2011) and
‎state sovereignty as absolute
‎Ukraine (2014).
‎ on-state actors (terrorist groups) are
N
‎ arge parts of Syria and Iraq came under
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‎frequently challenging state sovereignty and
‎the control of Islamic State (2015).
‎attempting to define new borders
‎ tates still decide their own specific economic
S
‎Borders still define independent states
‎and political policies, within their borders.
‎ conomic policy (import and export tax,
E
‎ ajor economic crises require action by
M ‎ he financial crisis of 2008 was resolved by nation states
T
‎trade partnerships) is still decided by nation
‎nation states. ‎and IGOs (G20, G8, International Monetary Fund).
‎states
‎ tates choose to join IGOs and are key
S ‎ here is no world governing body with the
T
‎contributors to these. ‎power to act above the nation-state level.
‎ he majority of borders are respected by
T
‎ tates can still abuse human rights or break
S
‎nation states. Violations by other nation ‎Intervention in Libya (2011).
‎international law with impunity
‎states have decreased and are very rare.
‎ hile it is true that non-state actors are challenging state sovereignty,
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‎this is not widespread, there remains broad international consensus
‎about what makes a state legitimate in international law.
S ‎ imits the use of force by other states to
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‎significant actors in global politics are defined by ‎bring what happens in another state under,
‎states within sovereign state boundaries. ‎say a dictatorship, under control.
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‎prosperity by pooling, rather than
‎defending, their sovereignty.