State Sovereignty and Territory in International Relations
Item 8 – The State
The state is a privileged actor, particularly for realists like Morgenthau. However, transnational actors are increasingly challenging the state’s role.
The state remains a crucial reference point when analyzing the international system. We can discuss both state crisis and state-building.
Evidence of state consolidation can be seen in the increasing number of states. However, the crisis of the state is associated with challenges from non-state actors and the need to apply the concept of the state to diverse realities.
Sovereignty and Territory
Sovereignty
The Treaty of Westphalia (1648) marks the beginning of the concept of the monarch as sovereign within their territory, eliminating the possibility of external authority (emperor or pope). The elements of the State include territory, population, and a government with the authority to govern. Legally, a state differs from other actors because it possesses a unique legal status: sovereignty. All states are equal because they are all sovereign (Article 2.1 of the United Nations Charter). This encompasses both internal sovereignty (supremacy over any other authority within the population and territory) and external sovereignty (independence from any external authority). This doesn’t mean a state isn’t subject to mandatory rules, but rather that it isn’t subjected without its consent.
A state’s sovereignty gains value in the international system when recognized by other states. In the legal field, relationships between sovereign states are determined by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations:
- Principle of equality of states
- Principle of non-intervention or non-interference
- Principle of non-recourse to war except in self-defense
The principles of the Charter of the United Nations have often been violated. Currently, there is a review of some principles, such as non-intervention based on humanitarian criteria (duty of humanitarian intervention).
Sovereign states not members of the UN, although in some cases they are the system’s specialized agencies United Nations, China (Taiwan and Vatican City. The actors are sovereign states to add such dependent territories. Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, Great Britain, or Puerto Rico U.S. dependent.
Territory
The state also has a feature that sets it apart from other actors and the territory or any other actor has a legally territorio.El State is obliged to guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence. The intervention of other states requires that are violating rights of citizens who do not let them live with dignity.The intervention must be very precise in the objectives, with a limited and specified time and to considered too have serious state facts to influence other states use foreign policy, they must be endowed with human, material and aims to maintain it.
The shape is special, negotiated some agreements or treaties with the countries involved, which then rises to Parliament for approval, the project is led by the State Government concerned.
Failed States
Failed states are those that are unable to comply with set functions. There are indexes down these límites.Decimos a failed state is when you lose control of their territory. Losing the legitimate use of violence. Inability to ensure public services or public safety. A state that lives on the black market, money laundering and tax havens. During the Cold War kept the big states because such states being monitored in return for a miliary base, etc.