POWER & SOVEREIGNTY

Critical Evaluation of the Conceptualization of Power in the Realist View

Table of Contents

Power and Sovereignty1

Characteristics of Sovereignty2

The Constitution3

Alternative Understandings of Sovereignty and Power4

US Sovereignty and Power9

References12

Critical Evaluation of the Conceptualization of Power in the Realist View

Power and Sovereignty

Sovereignty is a concept that denotes absolute power. It is normally associated with the unlimited power of the state, so that some argue that states can only be identified through their sovereignty. Although there is an argument that sovereignty as a statist concept only emerges with the modern state, the very character of the state as an institution claiming a monopoly of legitimate force suggests a claim to sovereignty (Weiss 1997: pp. 3-27).

However, what is this state sovereignty? One influential international-relations writer sees sovereignty as a constitutional and legal independence that does not depend upon external recognition, and hence argues that Rhodesia (that declared its unilateral independence under Ian Smith in 1965) was a sovereign state. This seems very problematic, and sovereignty is usually identified with the capacity of the state to effectively impose its will on society at large (Weber & Biersteke 1996: pp. 41-74).

Sovereignty is better defined in terms of individuals rather than states - the sovereign individual being the person who can govern their own life. It is important to see this as a concept towards which we need to move, but can never actually reach. Moreover, we should not think of individuals as isolated atoms, but as people who relate to one another, so that the sovereignty of one person is influenced by the sovereignty of all (Shaw 2000: pp. 91-101).

Sovereignty is the exclusive authority that a state has within its territorial boundaries. Generally, sovereignty acts as a legitimizing concept: we ascribe authority and legitimacy to whoever is deemed to hold it. Effective sovereignty thus comes in large part from the recognition of legitimacy by at least some actors within and outside the given territory (Walker 1993: pp. 120-136).

As well as being a legitimizing concept, sovereignty has both domestic and international dimensions. Domestically, sovereignty regulates all of the relationships between the 'rulers' and 'ruled' within a given territory. Internationally, sovereignty dictates the relationships of states to one another and the norms that govern their treatment of one another. Both of these aspects of sovereignty are thus closely tied to the concept of the state (Rosecrance 2006: pp. 30-35).

A sovereign state is one that holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in a given geographical area. It is also often conceived to have an exclusive right to make and enforce laws within its boundaries. Sovereignty thus implies that there is a final authority within a distinct political community. Decisions made by that authority on behalf of the community cannot be overruled by another authority elsewhere.

It has been argued that state sovereignty implies indivisible power. This idea of indivisibility might appear to be contradicted by the presence of local governments and the division of the central state into different departments and agencies (Nye 1990: ...