9.2 What are the contemporary challenges to sovereign state authority?

Question 1

9.2 What are the contemporary challenges to sovereign state authority?

Answer 1

Key idea ⮕ A multitude of factors pose challenges to sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Question 2

Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors

Answer 2

-Current political boundaries
-Transnational corporations
-Supranational institutions such as large regional trading blocs
-Political dominance of ethnic groups
Pages 270-273.

Question 3

Current political boundaries (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors)

Answer 3

The current system of nation-states with clearly defined political boundaries is based on the Westphalian model. This was established on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the sovereign equality of all states. A state cannot violate the sovereignty or territory of another state since, in this respect, all are equal.

Question 4

Westphalian model

Answer 4

Established in 1648 to be the primacy of state sovereignty in Europe. One challenge is the existence and power of the doctrine of states right.

Question 5

Examples of Current political boundaries (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors)

Answer 5

-Contested territory: for example, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in Ukraine; contested islands in South and East China Seas, UK and Argentinian claims over the Falkland Islands.
-Separatism: for example, claims for secession by Basque and Catalan national groups in Spain and France; and Scottish nationalists in the UK.
Page 270.

Question 6

Transnational corporations (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors)

Answer 6

Transnational corporations (TNCs) are large corporate enterprises which operate in more than one country. For example, Nike, the US sports equipment and clothing company, has 692 factories in 42 countries and employs over a million people worldwide.

Question 7

Many Transnational corporations have been criticised for pursuing their own profit-making interests at a costs to the countries in which they have invested (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors)

Answer 7

-Business decisions to invest or disinvest, affecting the lives of many people, have been taken outside the host country which has little or no involvement.
-Disrespect for human rights by some TNCs is another challenge to sovereignty; exploitation of working populations, payment of low wages, demands for overtime and long hours, poor working conditions and use of child labour are all abuses of human rights levelled at some large businesses.

Question 8

Supranational institutions such as large regional trading blocs (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors)

Answer 8

Supranational institutions represent a tier of governance above that of the individual state. Examples include international organisations at global scale such as the United Nations and its agencies including the IMF and WTO, and at regional scale such as NATO and trading blocs including the European Union, ASEAN, MERCOSUR and ECOWAS.

Question 9

The European Union (Supranational institutions such as large regional trading blocs (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors))

Answer 9

The EU is a trading bloc which is not only an economic union but also a political union with its own parliament and a monetary ‘Eurozone’. There are 28 sovereign member states, but their integration in the EU can bring challenges to their individual power and autonomy.
Pages 272-273.

Question 10

United Nations (Supranational institutions such as large regional trading blocs (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors))

Answer 10

Each of the 193 sovereign states in the UN is a member of the General Assembly. As we have seen in the UN Charter, sovereignty and territorial integrity are important norms (Articles 2.1, 2.4) which underpin the global political system.
Despite the effects of globalisation, the system of nation-states is still the basic framework for international law; it is the state which has responsibility for its bounded territory and its citizens as well as relations with other states (Article 4.1).
Page 273.

Question 11

Political dominance of ethnic groups (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors)

Answer 11

The geographical distribution of ethnic groups does not always coincide with current political borders. Examples include the Basque Nation.
Pages 273-274.

Question 12

The Basque Nation (Political dominance of ethnic groups (Erosion of sovereignty and loss of territorial integrity are influenced by economic, political, social and environmental factors))

Answer 12

Challenges to territorial integrity and sovereignty have arisen in Spain and France where the Basque nation has long struggled for independence.
The Basque country straddles the international border of northern Spain and southwest France. The area is centred on the western end of the Pyrenees and includes seven provinces, four in Spain and three in France, with a population of more than 3.1 million.
Pages 273-274.

Question 13

Ukraine: a country in which sovereignty has been challenged (Case study)

Answer 13

Pages 275-276.