Anatomy of a State

State

a political association that establishes sovereign jurisdiction within defined territorial borders, and exercises authority through a set of permanent institutions. These institutions are those that are recognizably ‘public’, in that they are responsible for the collective

organization of communal life, and are funded at the public’s expense.

State (ex: the Philippine state)

A political entity with territory, people, government, and sovereignty.

Government (ex: the Philippine government)

The institution or persons exercising authority for the state.

Nation (ex: the Filipino nation)

People who share a sense of identity or community.

Country (ex: the Philippines)

The common everyday term for a state or territory.

Nation

refers to the people who have a common origin, language, beliefs, and customs. The people bound together by such commonalities believe that they are one; it is an ethnic concept because its focus is the people and their cultural commonality.

Yes, a nation can exist without being a state, forming what is known as a "stateless nation" when a group of people shares a common cultural identity, language, and history but lacks an independent, internationally recognized government and territory (ex: Hmong people)

Can a nation exist without being a state?

Yes, multiple nations can coexist within a single country—known as a multinational state—such as the United Kingdom, which encompasses the distinct nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland under one sovereign government.

Can multiple nation exist within a state?

People, territory, government, and sovereignty

Elements of a state

There is no required minimum number of citizens or people needed for an entity to become a sovereign state

How many citizens does a state must have in order to become a state?

Territory

Which element of state? A state exercises authority within a defined territorial space

Airspace, Maritime zones, Territorial sea, Internal waters, and Land territory

“The state exercises authority strictly within a multidimensional spatial domain.” What are the types of territory?

Government

The machinery through which state authority is exercised.

Remains; changes

The state ______; the government administration _____.

Internal and External Sovereignty

The 2 dimensions of sovereignty

Internal sovereignty

Supreme authority to make and enforce laws within the country.

External Sovereignty

Political independence from external control (eg. Foreign states cannot enact domestic laws)

The Declaratory Theory states that an entity becomes an independent nation simply by having a population, territory, and functioning government, while the Constitutive Theory argues that a nation only truly exists once it is officially recognized by other countries. (Ex: Taiwan, Somaliland, Kosovo).

A group of 50,000 people occupies an island in the Pacific. They declare independence and establish their own government. They control the island and make their own laws. However, another country claims the island as its territory and refuses to recognize their independence. Can we consider the island as an independent state?

Capacity to enter into relations with other states. (Key Insight: A state is not an isolated political community; it operates in a world of other state)

Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention introduces a critical 4th legal question of a state:

1. The overriding weight of international law.

2. Binding global treaties and alliances.

3. Severe economic and supply chain dependence.

4. Vast disparities in military and coercive power.

If states are sovereign, why can't they simply do whatever they want?