state sovereignty Flashcards
nations seeking independent statehood will often claim a right to…..
self-determination
what is the state soverignty
within one country/nation state, there is a group or body with supreme law-making authority and has independence and freedom from external interference in its affairs..
-under the control of that nation
what are two concepts that come along w state sovereignty ?
-international law cannot interfere wo state consent
-not all gov equally accept idea of own ppl having certain rights. some countries wo democratic processes rely on sovereignty to justify mistreatement of their own citizens
what are the strengths of state sovereignty
-celebration of diversity : countries all have different circumstances and therefore they can choose which treaties apply the best to them
-it acknowledges unique culture, history and social structure.
-legal system meets wants & needs of citizens more accurately
what are the weaknesses of state sovereignty
-precents binding/overriding authoirty : UN cannot override domestic law unless signatories.
UN has ‘moral authority’ not legal
nations only bound to international law when they sign it- unable to hold accountable wo signatory
whats the role ofinternational HR in state sovereignty? (3)
-provides opportunities 4 state to provide protection for citizens wo external influence
-states use it as a way to maintain world order (moral compliance pertaining HR thro international docs)
-promotes HR- morally binding in their own domestic legislation
example of how aus has incooperated state sovereignty in domestic legislation
For instance, Australia enacted **The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) **in compliance with the UDHR
* This may even allow the state to enforce HR in a way that morally captivates the members of that state
how does state sovereignty hinder HR
countries without democratic processes may rely on sovereignty to justify mistreatment of their own citizens.
example of aus using state soverignty (hinderness)
For example, Gillian Triggs from the Australian Human Rights Committee found the liberal government in 2015 to be committing HR violations. Tony Abott exercised sovereignty by declaring that aus is sick of being lectured to by the AHRC and continued to use offshore detention as a means of controlling asylum seeker issues.