The concept of ‘sovereign state’ in political theories reconsidered
Sovereignty and International Relations
1992 Volume 1992 Issue 101 Pages 106-123,L9
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1992 Volume 1992 Issue 101 Pages 106-123,L9
In the field of international political theories, as Stephen D. Krasner has pointed out, it is a matter of course that we deal with the ‘sovereign state’ or the ‘nation state’ as a given. It is difficult for us therefore, to realize that we have not yet had a plentiful discussion about the meaning of the concept of ‘sovereign state.’
Moreover, in the textbook of international politics, the ‘state’ is viewed as a major actor in international society. The concept of ‘state’ is defined as having three components which are ‘sovereignty’, ‘territory’ and ‘population’. Despite the many changes in real politics, it seems that an examination of the ‘sovereign state’ concept, beyond this limited definition, has not been undertaken.
We can see two different phenomena in the world trend towards democratization. There is a trend towards ‘integration’ among ‘sovereign states’, while on the other hand, there are instances in which the ‘sovereign state’ has collapsed as a result of the disfunction of the state.
Therefore, we cannot perceive all sovereign states in the world as having the same meaning. Why is this ‘sovereign state’ concept now obscure? It seems that different levels of political development possess different interpretations of ‘sovereign states.’
Drawing upon current political trends in world wide democratization, this paper aims to re-examine the concept of ‘sovereign states’ in the field of international political theories and political theories.
