"Sovereignty"

Lecture #6: “Sovereignty”
Maria Stern and Peer Schouter

Sovereignty and Globalization
- Today we will discuss sovereignty and the state in connection to globalization.
- State sovereignty is a principle, a law, a convention and a myth that tries to answer questions about power, authority, accountability, governance, legitimacy, legality, etc.
- Sovereignty has to do with the locus of politics and is connected to identity, political subjectivity, democracy and agency.
- Sovereignty is both an elegant and problematic response to the issues listed above.
Basic Definitions
- The state: Most literature refers to the idea of the modern liberal state. Of course, this conception is often at odds with actual states. According to Weber, the state has a monopoly on the use of force. The state is also a legal and juridical entity with a government and state apparatuses or executive-administrative structure. According to Haywood in Concepts in Politics, the state is sovereign. It stands above all other groups. It contains public institutions and reflects the permanent interests of society. The state’s authority is backed up by coercion and a state must have the capacity to ensure its laws are obeyed. A state is also a territorial association with a jurisdiction that is geographically defined. On the international stage, a state is regarded as an autonomous entity. Furthermore, the citizens of a state enter into a social contract with the state whereby they have certain rights and responsibilities.
o The ideal modern liberal state has a government, ensures the security and welfare of its citizens as well as the (relatively) equal distribution of resources.
o Nationalism lends legitimacy and gives meaning to the state.

- Sovereignty: In order for the state to work, it must be sovereign. Sovereignty is the complete, comprehensive and exclusive rule over a given territory and those residing within that territory. The internal face of sovereignty entails the claim that the state has final legal authority within its borders. The external face of sovereignty rejects authority higher or other than the state. A sovereign state has to be recognized by other states—although this recognition is problematic. There is a juridical or legal sovereignty which assumes a system of states with a set of rules. There is also an empirical sovereignty which entails the ability to make an effective internal claim to sovereign control.

- Autonomy: Autonomy is independence or complete and exclusive rule both externally and internally.
Concrete Examples of Sovereign States (?): the Netherlands, Somalia, Kosovo, Palestine, Iraq
- The Netherlands: Most would agree that the Netherlands is a sovereign state but it is not, necessarily, autonomous. The Netherlands is a member of the European Union and has accordingly relinquished monetary autonomy. The Netherlands also has a contingent of American soldiers inside its borders.

- Somalia: The Somali government has no effective claim over the use of force. Force is exercised by a variety of non-state actors including pirates and warlords. Somali citizens do not feel represented by their government and many Somalis receive resources vital to daily existence from aid agencies. And yet, Somalia is recognized as a sovereign state by the United Nations. Somaliland, which exists within Somalia, has its own queen, central bank and international trading partners but it is not recognized as sovereign.

- Kosovo: Many states recognize the sovereignty of Kosovo but many do not. Most notably, Russia does not recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty. This is problematic because Russia is a member of the United Nations Security Council and therefore has the power to veto any attempt to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty.

- Palestine: Palestine is a contested state. It has laws and a government but it does not have sovereignty or autonomy. Of course, Palestine, like any state, can be considered sovereign or not sovereign depending on your definition of sovereignty and the aspects of sovereignty that you are examining.

- Iraq: In 2004, CNN ran the headline, “The US returns sovereignty to Iraq.” The story described a US official handing over sovereignty to an Iraqi official on a specific date and time. Some said the hand over was meaningless while others argued it was a step in the right direction.

How does globalization relate to sovereignty?
- Globalization touches on the core issues of sovereignty. This is illustrates more clearly by examining definitions of globalization.
o One author defines globalization as the “growing interdependence of national economies.”
o Martin Kohr contends that “globalization is what we in the Third World have for several centuries called colonization.”
o Still another writes that “globalization is a rubric for varied phenomena.”

- Neo-medievalism contends that globalization is multi-layered and fragmented both of which concern autonomy and authority. Thus globalization is a force that diffused political authority and sovereignty.

- Neo-liberals believe that global interdependence increases welfare, security and democracy and, ultimately, enhances global civil society.

- An example of the entwined relationship of sovereignty and globalization is “the responsibility to protect.” According to this argument, sovereignty has become an impediment to protecting human rights. Underlying this statement is the assumption that some states simply aren’t working.

- Cosmopolitanism championed by David Held argues that a world society can answer global questions and mediate global issues. According to this theory, we need to start lifting decision-making from the state. Good governance is required to protect fragile states (formally unknown as failed states). State sovereignty is no longer uncontested primarily because terrorism, piracy, environmental disasters, etc. do not obey borders.

- Accountability and authority pose real problems for global governance. States act on their own interests, not the interests of humanity.

- Today, there is no global governance with absolute power or authority.

Vital Questions raised by Sovereignty and Globalization
- Is the state dead?
- Does the state still exist?
- Has the state ever existed?
The Bottom Line: Globalization forces us to rethink sovereignty.