Sovereignty And Defining the Modern State

SOVEREIGNTY AND THE MODERN STATE
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Sovereignty and the Modern State
Sovereignty is a concept that has been around for centuries, although its meaning has evolved over the years. The term sovereignty is derived from the Latin word superanus and it means supreme (Dar & Sayed 2017, p.8). Despite being around for centuries, the idea of sovereignty still raises a lot of controversies, especially around the concepts of democracy, states, and political independence. In the international system, the idea of sovereignty is met with a lot of questions especially because it has always been difficult to put the definition of sovereignty in practice. The questions revolve around whether sovereignty is an abstract or concrete authority and whether it is held by individuals or a collective (Grimm 2015, p.4). Also, there is the question of whether the affairs of one state should be interfered with by another state or states. Further, what warrants such interferences, and to what extent should the affairs of a state be interfered with? This paper will address the meaning of sovereignty and how it defines the modern state. To achieve this, the evolution of sovereignty will be examined to determine how the changes that have occurred over the years concerning sovereignty have impacted the modern state. Then, the paper will examine what role sovereignty plays in the modern state.
Definition of Sovereignty
There have been challenges and questions when it comes to the definition of the word sovereignty. This is due to the changing nature of the world over time, as well as the changes that exist from one territory to another. In fact, Grimm (2015, p.4) indicates that the definition of sovereignty has always been unstable even when used within the same place and time. However, there are some key aspects of the definition that have remained relevant over the years. The following definition reflects what sovereignty meant during the emergency of the early modern state. However, it is worth noting that this definition also can change as time moves and the world is changing. The term sovereignty can be defined as the utmost authority over a specific territory (Dar & Sayed 2017, p.8). This authority is unlimited and can be either legal or political (Harrison & Boyd 2018, p.17). There are some very important aspects of this definition that require a closer look.
The first is the aspect of utmost authority, which is also the first part of the definition. Utmost authority means that the holder of sovereignty has the power, in the highest order possible, to rule and lead a group of people within a specified location/ territory (Nunez 2017, p.18). This means that within that specific territory, everything else falls under the holder of sovereignty because of the superior authority they possess. For instance, in the United States, federal laws hold more authority and supersede state laws within the country, especially when the federal and state governments have conflicting views or priorities over an issue. Also, this power to rule is bestowed on the ruler rightfully, rather than being acquired coercively to rule the inferior. How, then, can this power be considered rightful? Many sources give holders of sovereignty the right to rule by legitimately giving them authority over a territory. These sources include international law, the constitution, or other sources that are recognized by a group(s) of people as legitimate. In the example given above, the federal laws are deemed as superior to state laws because they have been established as superior by the Constitution. In this case, the Constitution is acknowledged by all Americans as a legitimate source of authority.
The second is the aspect of territory. A territory is an identifiable residence of a group of people with defined boundaries (Harrison & Boyd 2018, p.24). It falls under the jurisdiction of a ruler who is legitimately acknowledged by the people living within the defined boundaries. This means that for sovereignty to exist, there must be a group of people living within defined boundaries. A territory is what gives rulers or sovereignty holders jurisdiction over a group of people. For instance, the boundaries between the US and Canada, as well as between the US and Mexico, are the ones that make the US Constitution a recognized source of authority in the US and not in Canada or Mexico. Each of these territories has its source of authority, which only applies within its borders. The size of the territory does not matter and can even change with time. Over time, some boundaries have shifted to make some territories smaller and others larger, such as the shift that has occurred in Europe over the years (Harrison & Boyd 2018, p.24). However, as long as the boundaries remain, and the residents within those boundaries acknowledge those boundaries, there will be a territory with a ruler. It is worth noting that in the modern world, other territories have to also acknowledge and recognize the boundaries of another state because the world has become globalized.
As mentioned earlier, the definition of sovereignty has changed over the years and one of the key changes worth noting is the development of the internal and external aspects of sovereignty. This development in the definition of sovereignty was as a result of the Christian world’ s particularistic view on some states (Grimm 2015, p.5). Thus, sovereignty began to be defined in consideration of these internal and external aspects. On one hand, internal sovereignty refers to the authority of a territory to regulate and rule residents within that territory (Dar & Sayed 2017, p.9). This authority not only includes the rights possessed by the sovereign holder, but also the duties of the sovereign holder within that specific territory. On the other hand, external sovereignty refers to independence from the interference of all foreign territories (Dar & Sayed 2017, p.9). In this case, all ...