States + Sovereignty

Question 1

What does a state comprise?

Answer 1

• a government and all that entails.
• centralised bureaucracies
• fixes territory

Question 2

What is the declarative theory of statehood?

Answer 2

• Montevideo convention treaty
• permanent population
• an effective government (makes decisions and can enforce them)
• capacity to enter into relations with other states (open embassies and become a legal character)

Question 3

What is the constitutive theory of statehood?

Answer 3

Enough people claim a state

Question 4

What are the 3 types of authoritarian states?

Answer 4

• totalitarian
• oligarchic
• 1 party state

Question 5

What is a totalitarian state and examples?

Answer 5

All power rests with a single person ( Nazi Germany, North Korea)

Question 6

What is an oligarchy, give examples?

Answer 6

Power with a small group- mass not consulted. Eg power with armed/ intelligence forces. (Russia, Turkey)

Question 7

What is a 1 party state, give examples?

Answer 7

A single parry controls armed forces (China)

Question 8

What are 4 types of democratic state?

Answer 8

• parliamentary (UK)
• presidential (US)
• French model
• direct/ participatory/ Athenian

Question 9

What is a parliamentary state?

Answer 9

A state where the parliament can overturn the will of court

Question 10

What is a presidential state?

Answer 10

A state where power is written in the constitution, legislative and judicial

Question 11

What is the French model?

Answer 11

Between parliamentary and presidential- president is not elected through parliament, prime minister is appointed over senate/ parliamentary majority.

Question 12

What is an Athenian state?

Answer 12

A state where every person affected by a decision has a say

Question 13

What are methods of state change?

Answer 13

• peaceful protest
• elections/ referenda
• coups d’etat
• revolution
• civil war

Question 14

What is sovereignty?

Answer 14

The principle that the state is a legitimate power over every actor within their borders

Question 15

What is internal sovereignty?

Answer 15

The right to enforce law/ enjoy monopoly of legitimate force over its territory

Question 16

What is external sovereignty?

Answer 16

A state’s independence and equality as recognised by other states

Question 17

What is negative sovereignty?

Answer 17

The prevention of interference

Question 18

What is positive sovereignty?

Answer 18

The creation of a strong, stable state with support of citizens

Question 19

What was the peace of Westphalia?

Answer 19

At the end of the 30 years war, it was declared that the pope, head of the church, can not interfere with laws of sovereignties. As a result, states are free from interference, have the right to self defence, and have to accept fixed boundaries.

Question 20

How established is sovereignty?

Answer 20

• state process could be reversed by rebellion, civil wars etc
• 1/5 of worlds states don’t have internal sovereignty
• states are supposed to be recognised as equal, but powerful states violate the sovereignty of weaker states (Iraq, Crimea)
• quasi- states, some don’t yet have internal sovereignty but enjoy external (Somalia)

Question 21

How is globalisation impacting sovereignty?

Answer 21

• states are losing economic sovereignty to trans national corporations
• rights to war/ self defence is limited by UNSC
• internal right against intervention is conditional to the government protecting its citizens- ( humanitarian intervention in Libya)
• sovereignty is shared between state and super state authorities (EU, UN)- EU can override democratic decisions of states

Question 22

What is the realist reaction to the impact of globalisation on sovereignty?

Answer 22

Only states have legitimate authority over territory, but sovereignty can be more effectively protected by giving up a bit to super state organizations