Sovereignty Sovereignty is an aspect of the state which is not tangible.

e. Contents o Theoretical Foundations o Sovereignty of the state o Institutional sovereignty o International legal sovereignty o Interdependence sovereignty o Global Imperatives o Summary Theoretical Foundations o Generally means not to be ruled by others. o Equivalent to Supreme Power. o Variations in different dimensions over time and space. o Resides in the body of the nation and belongs to the people. o Closely related to the nature, origin, and evolution of the state. o Derived from the Latin word Superanus and then through the French word souverainet. o Divine rights of Pope during medieval period. o Renaissance, Puritan and Reformation movements, and subsequent religious wars ushered in a new outlook. o Sovereignty became related to the development of centralized authority of the monarchies by the end of the 16th century. o Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes emphasized the concept of Monarchical sovereignty. o French jurist Jean Bodin viewed monarchical sovereign as being the most indivisible. o Modern doctrine emerged in Europe through the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 for governing sovereign state. o Popular sovereignty conecept derived from the writings of JeanJacque Rousseau at the end of the 18th century. Sovereignty resides in the body of the nation and belongs to the people. Sovereignty of the State o Lawful control over its territory. o Internal political legitimacy to conduct itself within the state. o Recognition of legitimate status by other states to make treaties and alliances. o Authority to impose and collect taxes, levy contributions; make war or peace; form treaties with foreign powers. o Absolute and unlimited control of power by the political authority. o Jurisdictional authority to make laws correct and repeal the old ones; execute the laws. o Powers for immunities and privileges.

o Right of self-determination and total independence. o Right to command and act independently i.e., command over the outer space. o Total power over the three branches of government. Executive Legislative Judicial o States being self-directed actors and not secondary or derivative agencies. o Right and power to wage war against external enemies. o Suspend the normal operation of the law in case of threat to peace or stability. o States are legally equal and enjoy the rights inherent in full sovereignty. o To freely chooe and develop their own socio-economic, political, and cultural systems. o Live in peace with other states. o Territorial integrity and political independence of a state are inviolable. o States are free not to enter into agreements with other countries. o Carry out international obligations under agreement. o Relinquish a certain measure of sovereignty to the international community. Sovereignty of the Institution o Actual capacity of the structures to regulate peoples behavior. o Ultimate authority in decision-making and maintenance of order. o Parliamentary sovereignty. o Judicial sovereignty is to judge the disputes that arise among the citizens and to punish crimes. International Legal Sovereignty o Enjoying rights and privileges as members in international organizations o Hegemonic sovereignty Exercised by powerful states over the weaker states. o Defensive sovereignty Legal rights to demand other states to refrain from interfering in a states internal affairs. o Positive sovereignty Ability of the state to exercise effective control in the arena of its formal jurisdiction. o Scope of sovereignty to require certain kinds of cultural conformity for ex-colonial states. o Artificial geographic division Transplanted by European colonialists upon the colonies of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

o Geographical boundaries upon maps assumed great importance. Interdependence Sovereignty o Ability of the states to control transnational movement across their borders. o Recognition of maritime boundary: 200nm o Sovereignty over South Talpatti o Access to international river waters. Bangladesh has fifty-three rivers which flow into the country from India, they have an agreement covering water rights with only one. o Access to enclaves inside India. o Transit/Corridor facilities to India.j o EU Perspectives EU is a new shining danger for sovereignty of some European countries, i.e., Turkey Sometimes EU restricts the sovereignty of member/candidate countries. State sometimes has to make and implement new rules, codes that may be against states traditional throughts. Global Imperatives o Traditional sovereignty is changing in an era of globalization. o Seriously challenged in present international society and losing its traditional foundation. o Question for many poorer states about the degree to which they ever enjoyed effective sovereignty. o Status of the rogue and failed states over their exercise of sovereignty. Summary o In recent years the concept of sovereignty has been the subject of intense debate. o The sovereign state model is a basic concept for the major theoretical approaches to International Relations. o It is an excellent starting point for analyzing much of what goes on in the international environment. Critical Thinking o Is Israel a sovereign state? o Is Palestine a sovereign state? o How would you perceive the invasion of Iraq by US-led forces in 2003? Was it a violation of the sovereignty of Iraq? o Do you think that the process of globalization is posing threats to the sovereignty of underdeveloped countries? o