Defining a sovereign state is quite simple. In current international practice, he is recognized as a legal entity that has power over a certain geographical area with a permanent population, and also has a central government that enters into relations with the governments of other countries.
Signs of the state
In international law, however, there are two conflicting norms that can often impede the recognition of a state as sovereign.
The principle of inviolability of borders and the right of peoples to self-determine their national destiny come into conflict with each other. Thus, it turns out that the emergence and termination of the existence of any state is not only a matter of declaring their own independence, but also recognition of other states. This makes it necessary to supplement the definition of a sovereign state with a thesis on the declaration of own independence, adopted by neighbors and international organizations.
However, there are many examples where the state functions effectively without being recognized by its neighbors. This is the case with the Jewish state. Israel is not recognized by most Arab countries, and Iran in official documents uses the wording "the so-called state of Israel." But all this does not prevent the Israeli economy from flourishing, education to remain one of the best in the world, and its citizens to be proud of their own country.
Unrecognized States
The definition of a sovereign state does not include all countries that have declared independence. Many such examples can be found in the territory of the former USSR, when, as a result of numerous ethnic conflicts and the uncertain status of various territories, states began to appear that were not recognized by the international community.
This happened with Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic. Despite the fact that all these countries have a territory that they control, the population and their own authorities, the vast majority of sovereign states do not recognize their independence. Even Transnistria’s own currency does not help achieve international recognition.
Thus, we can conclude that the economy is not critical for the recognition of the state as a success, which means that an independent sovereign state can become successful only in the course of a stubborn political struggle and diplomatic games.
Governments without states
The Second World War significantly enriched international practice and gave impetus to the emergence of new forms of existence of the state apparatus. While many countries were occupied by the German army, their governments found themselves abroad and from there conducted propaganda activities and the struggle for independence. At the same time, they were recognized as completely legal, although they did not have any controlled territory or population.
It was in this regime that the government of De Gaulle functioned, which began the struggle for the liberation of France, being on the other side of the strait. It is worth noting that his struggle was successful not least thanks to international support, which means that the definition of a sovereign state must inevitably include a mention of international recognition.
International control and self-restraint
The Second World War and the numerous crises that followed it called into question all the principles of international cooperation that existed at that time. Desiring to maintain peace, many governments, under pressure from their own citizens, began to revise the principles of a sovereign state.
It was after the war that supranational entities began to appear, designed to impose a restriction on the inalienable right of any state - the right to use violence. International treaties have received a higher status than domestic laws, and decisions of international courts have become binding in states that these courts recognize. It is worth noting here that the participation of states in international agreements remains voluntary.
Thus, states increasingly began to give up part of their sovereignty in the name of peace and prosperity. Some countries even abandon their own army. For example, Nauru is a republic, a sovereign state that does not, however, have its own armed forces. His safety is Australia. Thus, the army is not a prerequisite for the implementation of sovereign international politics.
In the context of increasing globalization, the growing influence of international organizations and supranational entities, changes must be made to the definition of a sovereign state. A sovereign state can be any state whose status is recognized by the international community.