REASONS WHY STATE SOVEREIGNTY IS STILL IMPORTANT

What do some people argue?

states are still main actors in international affairs and the decline of state sovereignty is exaggerated

What are the 6 key arguments against state sovereignty being eroded?

The principle of non- interreference

Military forces

Citizenship

National borders

Intergovernmentalism

Lack of world Government

What is the principle of non- interference? What does it mean for state sovereignty?

Key element of Treaty of Westphalia is that states should not interfere with the affairs of other states

Allows states to exercise absolute power within their borders and have independence of action in the international arena

What is military forces? What does it mean for state sovereignty?

Most armed forces are under sovereign control of the state

E.g. British army was never incorporated into a combined EU military force

Individual states have nuclear weapons and have control over them

What is citizenship

The choice of who and who isn’t a citizen is completely up to the sovereign state

Who is the example for citizenship?

Shamima Begam was a British citizen who left to join Islamic state in Syria when she was 15

UK stripped her of her citizenship in 2019 for security purposes

What is national boarders and how does it maintain state sovereignty?

Boarders are nationally protected

Rishi Sunak trying to protect boarders from migrants in ‘small boats’

States massively protect their national boarders from invasion and migration

What is intergovernmentalism and how is state sovereignty still intact?

IGO’S such as UN follows the principle of intergovernmentalism which gives states the power to veto (block) resolutions

Intergovernmentalism limits the power IGO’s have over its member states

If states don’t like policies of IGO they have the power to withdraw- Brexit

What is the example for intergovernmentalism?

Russia and China vetoed a US sponsored draft calling for an immediate cease fire in Gaza in March 2024

What is lack of world Government and how does it maintain state sovereignty

There is not a world government which can be seen as an argument for nothing being ‘above’ the state

A powerful state can still act without fear on international stage because it is hard to face consequences

E.g. Russia invading Ukraine US invading Iraq 2003