What is a state?
An area of land with clear boundaries and a single government which is recognised by other states, most commonly through the UN
What is a nation?
Large group of people who share strong bonds of identity united by history, descent, the same traditions, culture and language.
Nations do not have sovereignty over an area, they do not necessarily have a state.
What is a nation state?
An area of land with well defined boundaries, an independent self governing country, inhabited by one or more nations of people.
Most countries are regarded as nation states.
Define sovereignty
- The absolute authority that independent states have in the government of its land and peoples within its territory.
- Sovereignty has to be sustained internally - a state has exclusive authority within its territory, no other state can intervene in domestic politics.
- Sovereignty has to be sustained externally - there has to be mutual international recognition among other sovereign states that the state exists.
- It can be threatened by war, terrorism, bombing external cyber attacks, TNCs and pollution, refugee movement and intergovernmental laws.
Define Territorial Integrity
The principle that the defined territory of a state which is legitimately controlled cannot and should not be violated.
177 border disputes and 193 countries
What is State Apparatus?
- The set of institutions that the state has control over and can exercise power through.
- The equipment the state has control of in order to spread, maintain enforce and replicate its own ideas.
What is the Fragile States Index?
Annual report published by the US think tank the Fund for Peace.
The list aims to asses states’ vulnerability to conflict or collapse, ranking all sovereign states using the sum of scores of 12 indicators.
What are the 12 Indicators of FSI?
- Factionalised Elites
- Group grievance
- Security apparatus
- Economic Decline/Poverty
- Uneven economic development
- Human flight and brain drain
- State legitimacy
- Public services
- Human rights and rule of law
- Demographic Pressures
Define Sovereign Equality
All states are equal before international law no matter the size of their territory, population, economy or military.
TLRD; All states are equal to each other, so sovereignty cannot be violated.
Secession/Autonomy/Separatism
The act of becoming independent and no longer part of a country, area, organisation etc.
What are Norms?
- The moral principles which have developed over time and are universally accepted as standard behaviour.
- Embedded in international law to be upheld by state governments and their citizens
- Based on the customary behaviours that underpin sovereignty/territorial integrity eg. principles that are enshrined in the UN charter
What is Internvention?
The action taken by a state, group of states or international organisations, agreed to by the UN, in resolving conflicts or violations of human rights arising from challenges to sovereignty and territorial integrity eg. peace keeping forces, UN observers, economic sanctions, military interventions (last resort) etc.
What are Sanctions?
- A form of intervention.
- Economic sanctions are penalties levied against a country/officials/private citizens to provide disincentives for the targetted policies and actions - travel bans, export restrictions, trade embargoes, asset seizures etc.
What is R2P?
- Responsibility to Protect => 2005, UN members agreed on what became known as R2P, stating that countries have a fundemental sovereign responsibility to protect their citizens. If they fail to do so, that responsibility fails to the UN system.
- Countries under UN can use all means necessary including military intervention to prevent large-scale loss of life - this goes against the fundemental respect for sovereignty
What is self-determination?
The right of a nation or group, with distinctive territorial identity to require more independence by freely determining its political status and persuing its economic, social and cultural development.
What is geopolitics?
- The global balance of political power and international relations.
- Power is not evenly distributed throughout the worlds and there are inequalitites in power between states explained by their wealth, military might, political influence and levels of development
- These characteristics allow for ‘global superpowers’ (hegemon) to emerge, with the ability to project their dominance all over the world.
