Sovereign state

A sovereign state is a state that has the supreme sovereignty or ultimate authority over a territory.^[1] It is commonly understood that a sovereign state is independent.^[2] When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may also refer to a constituent country, or a dependent territory.^[3]^[4]^[5]

A sovereign state is usually required to have a permanent population, defined territory, a government not under another, and the capacity to interact with other sovereign states.^[6] In actual practice, recognition or non-recognition by other states plays an important role in determining the status of a country. Unrecognized states often have difficulty engaging in diplomatic relations with other sovereign states.^[7]^[8]

^ Philpott, Daniel (1995). "Sovereignty: An Introduction and Brief History". Journal of International Affairs. 48 (2): 353–368. JSTOR 24357595.
^
See the following:
- Wheaton, Henry (1836). Elements of international law: with a sketch of the history of the science. Carey, Lea & Blanchard. p. 51. A sovereign state is generally defined to be any nation or people, whatever may be the form of its internal constitution, which governs itself independently of foreign powers.
- "sovereign", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004, archived from the original on 7 October 2015, retrieved 21 February 2010, adj. 1. Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state.
- "sovereign", The New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-517077-1, adjective ... [ attrib. ] (of a nation or state) fully independent and determining its own affairs.
- Pellet, Alain (1992). "The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee A Second Breath for the Self-Determination of Peoples". European Journal of International Law. 3 (1): 178–185. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035802. The Committee considers [...] that the state is commonly defined as a community which consists of a territory and a population subject to an organized political authority; that such a state is characterized by sovereignty; [...]
^ Fowler, Michael Ross; Bunck, Julie Marie (1996). "What constitutes the sovereign state?". Review of International Studies. 22 (4). Cambridge University Press (CUP): 381–404. doi:10.1017/s0260210500118637. S2CID 145809847.
^ "Countries Not in the United Nations 2024". World Population by Country 2024 (Live). 26 June 1945. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
^ Talmon, Stefan (2001). "Recognition and its Variants". Recognition of Governments in International Law. pp. 44–112. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248391.003.0003. ISBN 978-0-19-924839-1.
^
See the following:
- Shaw, Malcolm Nathan (2003). International law. Cambridge University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-5215-3183-2. Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, 1 lays down the most widely accepted formulation of the criteria of statehood in international law. It note that the state as an international person should possess the following qualifications: '(a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states'.
- Jasentuliyana, Nandasiri, ed. (1995). Perspectives on international law. Kluwer Law International. p. 20. So far as States are concerned, the traditional definitions provided for in the Montevideo Convention remain generally accepted.
^ Visoka, Gëzim (2022). "Statehood and recognition in world politics: Towards a critical research agenda". Cooperation and Conflict. 57 (2): 133–151. doi:10.1177/00108367211007876.
^ Hoch, Tomáš (2018). "Legitimization of Statehood and its Impact on Foreign Policy in De Facto States: A Case Study of Abkhazia". Iran & the Caucasus. 22 (4). Brill: 382–407. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20180406. JSTOR 26626701.

[1] Philpott, Daniel (1995). "Sovereignty: An Introduction and Brief History". Journal of International Affairs. 48 (2): 353–368. JSTOR 24357595.

[2] See the following:
Wheaton, Henry (1836). Elements of international law: with a sketch of the history of the science. Carey, Lea & Blanchard. p. 51. A sovereign state is generally defined to be any nation or people, whatever may be the form of its internal constitution, which governs itself independently of foreign powers.

"sovereign", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004, archived from the original on 7 October 2015, retrieved 21 February 2010, adj. 1. Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state.

"sovereign", The New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-517077-1, adjective ... [ attrib. ] (of a nation or state) fully independent and determining its own affairs.

Pellet, Alain (1992). "The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee A Second Breath for the Self-Determination of Peoples". European Journal of International Law. 3 (1): 178–185. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035802. The Committee considers [...] that the state is commonly defined as a community which consists of a territory and a population subject to an organized political authority; that such a state is characterized by sovereignty; [...]

[3] Wheaton, Henry (1836). Elements of international law: with a sketch of the history of the science. Carey, Lea & Blanchard. p. 51. A sovereign state is generally defined to be any nation or people, whatever may be the form of its internal constitution, which governs itself independently of foreign powers.

[4] "sovereign", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004, archived from the original on 7 October 2015, retrieved 21 February 2010, adj. 1. Self-governing; independent: a sovereign state.

[5] "sovereign", The New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-517077-1, adjective ... [ attrib. ] (of a nation or state) fully independent and determining its own affairs.

[6] Pellet, Alain (1992). "The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee A Second Breath for the Self-Determination of Peoples". European Journal of International Law. 3 (1): 178–185. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ejil.a035802. The Committee considers [...] that the state is commonly defined as a community which consists of a territory and a population subject to an organized political authority; that such a state is characterized by sovereignty; [...]

[Fowler_Bunck_1996_pp._381–404-3] Fowler, Michael Ross; Bunck, Julie Marie (1996). "What constitutes the sovereign state?". Review of International Studies. 22 (4). Cambridge University Press (CUP): 381–404. doi:10.1017/s0260210500118637. S2CID 145809847.

[World_Population_by_Country_2024_(Live)_1945_w673-4] "Countries Not in the United Nations 2024". World Population by Country 2024 (Live). 26 June 1945. Retrieved 2 March 2024.

[academic.oup.com_i784-5] Talmon, Stefan (2001). "Recognition and its Variants". Recognition of Governments in International Law. pp. 44–112. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248391.003.0003. ISBN 978-0-19-924839-1.

[6] See the following:
Shaw, Malcolm Nathan (2003). International law. Cambridge University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-5215-3183-2. Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, 1 lays down the most widely accepted formulation of the criteria of statehood in international law. It note that the state as an international person should possess the following qualifications: '(a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states'.

Jasentuliyana, Nandasiri, ed. (1995). Perspectives on international law. Kluwer Law International. p. 20. So far as States are concerned, the traditional definitions provided for in the Montevideo Convention remain generally accepted.

[11] Shaw, Malcolm Nathan (2003). International law. Cambridge University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-5215-3183-2. Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, 1 lays down the most widely accepted formulation of the criteria of statehood in international law. It note that the state as an international person should possess the following qualifications: '(a) a permanent population; (b) a defined territory; (c) government; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states'.

[12] Jasentuliyana, Nandasiri, ed. (1995). Perspectives on international law. Kluwer Law International. p. 20. So far as States are concerned, the traditional definitions provided for in the Montevideo Convention remain generally accepted.

[Visoka_2022_pp._133–151-7] Visoka, Gëzim (2022). "Statehood and recognition in world politics: Towards a critical research agenda". Cooperation and Conflict. 57 (2): 133–151. doi:10.1177/00108367211007876.

[Hoch_2018_pp._382–407-8] Hoch, Tomáš (2018). "Legitimization of Statehood and its Impact on Foreign Policy in De Facto States: A Case Study of Abkhazia". Iran & the Caucasus. 22 (4). Brill: 382–407. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20180406. JSTOR 26626701.

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