"A Book Which Every Student of the Theory of Sovereignty Must Read" Mattern illuminates his subject through a rich historical survey ranging from Bodin and Hobbes to Laski, Kelsen and Willoughby. "Dr. Mattern's book is a contribution of value to the theory of sovereignty. (...) [He] has written a book which every student of the theory of sovereignty must read: it and Professor Hsiao's are the two most useful expositions of which the reviewer knows." George E.G. Catlin, Cornell Law Quarterly 14 (1928-29) 409-411. xix, 200 pp.

Examines the difficulties in applying international law to recent armed conflicts known as 'new wars'.

In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet bloc, it is timely to ask what continuing role, if any, the concept of sovereignty can and should play in the emerging &"new world order.&" The aim of Law, Power, and the Sovereign State is both to counter the argument that the end of the sovereign state is close at hand and to bring scholarship on sovereignty into the post-Cold War era. The study assesses sovereignty as status and as power and examines the issue of what precisely constitutes a sovereign state. In determining how a political entity gains sovereignty, the authors introduce the requirements of de facto independence and de jure independence and explore the ambiguities inherent in each. They also examine the political process by which the international community formally confers sovereign status. Fowler and Bunck trace the continuing tension of the &"chunk and basket&" theories of sovereignty through the history of international sovereignty disputes and conclude by considering the usefulness of sovereignty as a concept in the future study and conduct of international affairs. They find that, despite frequent predictions of its imminent demise, the concept of sovereignty is alive and well as the twentieth century draws to a close.

This collection of essays focusses on the following concepts: sovereignty (the unique, intangible and yet essential characteristic of states), statehood (what it means to be a state, and the process of acquiring or losing statehood) and state responsibility (the legal component of what being a state entails). The unifying theme is that they have always been and will in the future continue to form a crucial part of the foundations of public international law. While many publications focus on new actors in international law such as international organisations, individuals, companies, NGOs and even humanity as a whole, this book offers a timely, thought-provoking and innovative reappraisal of the core actors on the international stage: states. It includes reflections on the interactions between states and non-state actors and on how increasing participation by and recognition of the latter within international law has impacted upon the role and attributes of statehood.

Sovereignty marks the boundary between politics and law. Highlighting the legal context of politics and the political context of law, it thus contributes to the internal dynamics of both political and legal systems. This book comprehends the persistence of sovereignty as a political and juridical concept in the post-sovereign social condition. The tension and paradoxical relationship between the semantics and structures of sovereignty and post-sovereignty are addressed by using the conceptual framework of the autopoietic social systems theory. Using a number of contemporary European examples, developments and paradoxes, the author examines topics of immense interest and importance relating to the concept of sovereignty in a globalising world. The study argues that the modern question of sovereignty permanently oscillating between de iure authority and de facto power cannot be discarded by theories of supranational and transnational globalized law and politics. Criticising quasi-theological conceptualizations of political sovereignty and its juridical form, the study reformulates the concept of sovereignty and its persistence as part of the self-referential communication of the systems of positive law and politics. The book will be of considerable interest to academics and researchers in political, legal and social theory and philosophy.

Interest in international law has increased greatly over the past decade, largely because of its central place in discussions such as the Iraq War and Guantanamo, the World Trade Organisation, the anti-capitalist movement, the Kyoto Convention on climate change, and the apparent failure of the international system to deal with the situations in Palestine and Darfur, and the plights of refugees and illegal immigrants around the world. This Very Short Introduction explains what international law is, what its role in international society is, and how it operates. Vaughan Lowe examines what international law can and cannot do and what it is and what it isn't doing to make the world a better place. Focussing on the problems the world faces, Lowe uses terrorism, environmental change, poverty, and international violence to demonstrate the theories and practice of international law, and how the principles can be used for international co-operation.

Now in paperback—with a new preface by the author Americans have long been protective of the country's sovereignty—all the way back to George Washington who, when retiring as president, admonished his successors to avoid “permanent” alliances with foreign powers. Ever since, the nation has faced periodic, often heated, debates about how to maintain that sovereignty, and whether and when it is appropriate to cede some of it in the form of treaties and the alliances about which Washington warned. As the 2016 election made clear, sovereignty is also one of the most frequently invoked, polemical, and misunderstood concepts in politics—particularly American politics. The concept wields symbolic power, implying something sacred and inalienable: the right of the people to control their fate without subordination to outside authorities. Given its emotional pull, however, the concept is easily high-jacked by political opportunists. By playing the sovereignty card, they can curtail more reasoned debates over the merits of proposed international commitments by portraying supporters of global treaties or organizations as enemies of motherhood and apple pie. Such polemics distract Americans from what is really at stake in the sovereignty debate: the ability of the United States to shape its destiny in a global age. The United States cannot successfully manage globalization, much less insulate itself from cross-border threats, on its own. As global integration deepens and cross-border challenges grow, the nation's fate is increasingly tied to that of other countries, whose cooperation will be needed to exploit the shared opportunities and mitigate the common risks of interdependence. The Sovereignty Wars is intended to help today's policymakers think more clearly about what is actually at stake in the sovereignty debate and to provide some criteria for determining when it is appropriate to make bargains over sovereignty—and how to make them.

The One-China Policy: State, Sovereignty, and Taiwan's International Legal Status examines the issue from the perspective of international law, also suggesting a peaceful solution. The book presents two related parts, with the first detailing the concept of the State, the theory of sovereignty, and their relations with international law. The second part of the work analyzes the political status of the Republic of China in Taiwan and the legal status of the island of Taiwan in international law. Written by a leading international expert in international law, this book provides approaches and answers to the question of Taiwan and the One-China policy. - Responds to a key international issue of our time - Takes a legal perspective on Taiwan and the One-China policy - Considers the definition of a nation State from first principles, also offering new definitions - Applies international law on territory to draw conclusions on Taiwan and its relation to the People's Republic of China - Systematically critiques the role of the UN and other global actors in relation to Taiwan

This open access book introduces MIN, a novel networking architecture to implement the sovereign equality of all countries in the cyberspace. Combining legal theory and network technology, it first discusses the historical development of sovereignty and expounds the legal basis of cyberspace sovereignty. Then, based on the high-performance blockchain, it describes a new network architecture designed to implement co-governance at the technical level. Explaining network sovereignty and including rich illustrations and tables, the book helps readers new to the field grasp the evolution and necessity of cyberspace sovereignty, gain insights into network trends and develop a preliminary understanding of complex network technologies such as blockchain, security mechanisms and routing strategies. The MIN network implements the our principles of cyberspace adopted by most nations and people: respecting cyber sovereignty; maintaining peace and protection; promoting openness and cooperation; and building good order to provide network system security. There maybe three scales of application scenario for MIN, the big one is for UN of Cyberspace, the middle one is for Smart city, the small one is for enterprise group or organizations as private network, MIN-VPN. We have developed the product of MIN-VPN, you could find its message on the preface if care about the security of your network.