Sovereignty
in sentence
1408 examples of Sovereignty in a sentence
With its establishment, resulting from long and terrible experience, the basic idea of modernity – that the power of states and their rulers should be subject to the rule of higher law, thus placing individual rights above state
sovereignty
– has taken a great step forward.
Russia’s approach to international affairs has long centered on respect for national interests and sovereignty, and the belief that all peoples and nations should have the freedom to make their own political, economic, and cultural choices.
MADRID – Despite the huge sums expended to write down Greece’s foreign debt, there has been an outcry ofcensure against “interference” with the country’s national
sovereignty.
But are complaints that Greek
sovereignty
has been severely impaired justified?
The idea of a nation-state’s
sovereignty
is rooted in the seventeenth-century Treaty of Westphalia, which embraced non-interference by external agents in states’ domestic affairs as the guiding principle of international relations.
But, taken to its logical extreme, national
sovereignty
would require the complete physical and social isolation of states from one another.
Indeed, an excessive emphasis on national
sovereignty
leads to serious problems: after all, any international agreement, whether political or economic, entails a certain transfer of
sovereignty.
Participating in the collective life of the international community of states implies bearing others in mind and, when necessary, giving up certain prerogatives of
sovereignty.
For example, when Spain decided to join the World Trade Organization, it ceded
sovereignty
by accepting the WTO’s rules and regulations.
Whether this is a violation of
sovereignty
depends on our conception of
sovereignty.
As with the concept of individual freedom, national
sovereignty
depends on how its components are defined.
In the same way, the debate about the meaning of national
sovereignty
consists in what we consider “domestic” matters.
Depending on where we place the emphasis and how wide our focus is, we prioritize either a “global” (or at least “federal”) dimension to sovereignty, or a “national” dimension.
The EU seems to represent a halfway point between these two conceptions of
sovereignty.
On the European level, legitimacy is essential and – let’s be realistic – won’t be achieved unless and until Europeans overcome certain antiquated ideas about
sovereignty.
Now that it seeks to advance in that direction, the Union is accused of crimping national
sovereignty.
But that should not make us ignore the opportunity cost of a more “national” conception of
sovereignty.
To adhere to a narrow Westphalian concept of
sovereignty
in this world is an unwise anachronism at best, and a dangerous gamble at worst.
But, in the prosaic world of the here and now, the concept of
sovereignty
has already moved on.
The first set of reforms would involve establishing clear lines of
sovereignty
with international partners.
Many emerging countries also resent the World Bank’s environmental and social safeguards, which they see as compromising their national
sovereignty.
It seeks to be finely balanced, respecting the regime’s
sovereignty
while subtly pressing home the point in unison, as neighboring states.
Second, the US regards trade primarily as an instrument of political sovereignty, whereas European countries since the end of World War II have viewed it as a tool for delivering prosperity and limiting conflict.
The US willingly takes part in international commerce whenever doing so strengthens its sovereignty, and it withdraws whenever Americans feel threatened.
According to Trump’s more protectionist economic advisers, the WTO is diluting US
sovereignty
by creating, rather than simply implementing, trade laws.
The EU is built on a foundation of shared and integrated sovereignty, which, in the eyes hardline sovereigntists like Trump, is pure heresy.
But Trump’s hostility toward Europe stems not only from his contempt for the EU’s idea of sovereignty, but also from his obsession with reciprocity.
Indeed, his partners – particularly the other BRICS countries (Brazil, India, China, and South Africa) – are now unlikely to be able to turn a blind eye to his contempt for international law and for his neighbors’ national sovereignty, as they did during their recent Brazilian summit.
Much of this collaboration has centered on the South China Sea, where China’s increasingly powerful navy has been asserting its
sovereignty
claims with increasing vigor in recent years.
The hard truth is that the US remains reluctant to trade its
sovereignty
for multilateral solutions.
Back
Next
Related words
National
Their
Would
Countries
Which
States
International
Political
Economic
Country
Other
Global
State
Should
World
While
Government
Claims
About
There
