Challenges to State Sovereignty

Question 1

Regional Groupings

Answer 1

A regional grouping is a collection of states who cede some sovereignty to the collective to gain the benefits of more institutional and regulatory cooperation.

Question 2

Regional Groupings - Example (EU)

Answer 2

Consists of 27 member states, 450 million citizens who are free to move and settle where they wish within the union. The union formed when states were willing to give up some state sovereignty to get the economic and political benefits of a more integrated region.

Question 3

EU Case Study - Greece

Answer 3

Greece gave up its sovereign power to print currency (the drachma) in 2001 when it signed on to the Eurozone. When its debt became untenable following the GFC in 2008, it required help but could not unilaterally print Euros – this is the role of the European Central Bank, so Greece had to rely on the European Union, Central Bank and IMF to bail it out. They dictated Greece’s fiscal and monetary policy, thus challenging its state sovereignty. Despite Greece electing a far-left Syriza party in 2015 which rejected the terms of the bailouts but in the end had to comply to avoid economic catastrophe. The economic impacts have disproportionately affected Greek youth who have insecure employment, the elderly on the pension and the poor.

Question 4

Contested and Changing Boarders

Answer 4

State sovereignty is determined by the state’s borders, its sovereignty starts and stops at its borders. Where two or more states contest a border, an area is created where overlapping sovereignty may exist, this may be a source of conflict. Annexation may result if one state is more powerful than the other.

Question 5

Contested and Changing Boarders - Case Study

Answer 5

Annexation of Crimea
In February-March of 2014, 600 undercover Russian troops seized parts of the Crimean Peninsula. In March 2014, a faux referendum was held in Crimea, with 95% of the votes going towards joining Russia. The UN and Ukraine declared the election illegal as international supervision of the event was not allowed. This is a challenge to the sovereignty of Ukraine as Russia has claimed Crimea as their land and Ukraine no longer has the ability to govern over the population of Crimea without external interference.
Issues that require multilateral solutions