The uncertainty of the sovereign

territorial state or nation state

What is sovereign territorial state ?
• A sovereign state is a political entity that is represented by one
centralized government that has sovereignty over a geographic area.
• International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent
population, defined territory, one government and the capacity to
enter into relations with other sovereign states.
What does It mean if a nation is
sovereign ?
• The supreme, absolute, and uncontrollable power by which an
independent state is governed and from which all specific political
powers are derived; the intentional independence of a state,
combined with the right and power of regulating its internal affairs
without foreign interference.
What are the characteristics of Territory?
• Thus, relevant characteristics of a territory, such as size, shape,
habitat quality, and the degree of overlap with neighboring territories,
can influence the survival and breeding success of its owners.
What are the characteristics pf sovereign state
?
A sovereign state is one which is independent in its affairs and territory
and is complete in itself. This means that the state neither answers to
nor shares power with others, including religious or other government
powers. A sovereign state may conduct its own affairs without
hindrance or interference.
What Are the Characteristics of a
Sovereign State?
• Defined Territory
• Permanent Population
• State Independence
• National and International Organizations
Define territory
• In order to be a recognized sovereign state, the state must have a real
and defined territory. This may sound obvious but it means that, for
example, the Kurdish people of Northern Iraq cannot be a sovereign
nation as they have no defined territory that belongs to them. The
lands where the Kurds live are considered part of Iraq, part of Iran or
part of Turkey. Likewise, the Jewish people could not be recognized as
a state until 1948 when Israel was created as a Jewish homeland.
Permanent Population
• Just as a people without land cannot form a nation, a land without
people cannot form a sovereign state. A nation must have a
permanent population in order to be recognized as a sovereign state.
This means that you could not pick an island and claim it as the home
state of the Armenian people without the Armenian people actually
living there. In order to form any kind of a recognized state, sovereign
or otherwise, it is necessary to have a group of people living in a
defined space on a permanent basis.
State Independence
• While people living in a defined space is the basis of statehood,
independence forms the basis of sovereignty. Independence means
that a state chooses its own government and conducts its own affairs
within that state. States with governments appointed from abroad or
laws imposed on that government by a foreign power are not fully
sovereign. This is also known as self-determination. Independence
includes the ability of a state to enter freely into relations with other
governments without the approval of any other power. Sovereignty
does not require that a state's government be democratically elected
or popular within the state.
National and International Organization
• National organizations limit sovereignty. In the United States, for example,
the powers of the states and the powers of the federal government are
defined by the U.S. Constitution. The individual American states are not
sovereign because there is a higher level of government. U.S. states
cannot, for example, enter into trade agreements with foreign nations
without the approval of the federal government. International
organizations, such as the United Nations and North Atlantic Treaty
Organization do not limit sovereignty because they are voluntary. States
freely choose to participate in the U.N. and at any point may opt to leave
the U.N. Additionally, except in rare cases where the U.N. opts for military
force, states cannot be compelled to comply with U.N. decisions.