Disappearing Sovereignty in Modern International Relations

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The erosion of absolute sovereignty. Since the end of the Cold war and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the concept of sovereignty has begun to disappear from modern day international relations. Sovereignty refers to a state’s ultimate political authority over its given territory and that external to this there’s no higher authority that states must obey nor recognise (Baylis.J, Smith.S, Owens.P. 2011). The notion of sovereignty is a key factor of the theory of realism (Neufeld.M. 1998), and is heavily interlinked with the theory’s key perceptions of non-intervention and self-help (Baylis.J, Smith.S, Owens.P. 2011) – ideas that will be examined throughout this essay, and used as a means to prove the lack of sovereignty present in the international …show more content…

2011), was only furthered by the enhancement of the role of international organisations following the end of the Cold War. The United Nations, which although began in 1945 became largely in demand following the fall of Soviet Union, with an increase in the number of states seeking membership after 1990 (UN. date unavailable). This increase combined with the call for a more prominent role of the organisation by individuals worldwide in protecting the rights of human beings, positioned the UN as a powerful figure in the international community (Alger. 1998). The power of the United Nations was only strengthened by its role in determining international jurisdiction, a factor which according to Ivan (2013) saw a new means of intervention arise, based around the notion of the responsibility of states in maintaining human rights. The conclusion of the Cold War therefore left the international community with a higher authority that had the ability to intervene legally into other states and concern itself with the rights of individuals, rather than states (Baylis.J, Smith.S, Owens.P. 2011). This change saw the new international system drift further from sovereignty and realism, as now states had the obligation to their citizens to respect their rights or face the consequences of the new superior

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