State Sovereignty

State sovereignty is the foundation of international relations. This thought-provoking book explores the gap between seeing sovereignty as either absolute or relative. It argues that state sovereignty is both factual and judicial and that the 'loss' of sovereignty exists only at the margins of the international society. With many interesting real-world examples of ambiguous sovereignty examined, this is an important argument against those who are quick to claim that 'sovereignty' is under assault.

"Sovereign states, it can hardly be denied, are important actors on the international scene. And they operate there by virtue of their sovereignty. However, there has long been great confusion - dare one say slipshod thinking? - over what constitutes that sovereignty which is at the basis of their statehood. With a view to bringing some order to this fundamental issue, Dr Kurtulus subjects it to careful and learned examination. The result is an exceedingly acute and clearly-written book, which tellingly illuminates in a cross-disciplinary way what hitherto has been a very murky area. It should be read by all students of international relations who wish to get - literally - to the bottom of their subject." - Alan James, Professor Emeritus, Keele University and Author of Sovereign Statehood: The Basis of International Society

Autorentext
ERSUN N. KURTULUS is a Visiting Research Fellow and a Part-time Teacher in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent, UK and an Associate Lecturer at the Open University.

Inhalt
Introduction Referents of Sovereignty or Discourses of Sovereignty - Referent as a Discourse and Discourse as a Referent Theories of Sovereignty - Reclaiming the Domain of Empirical Research Sovereignty of States and Similar Entities - A Conceptual Analysis Judicial State Sovereignty - A Futile Search for Regulated or Regular State Behavior The Problem of Judicial State Sovereignty Factual State Sovereignty - An Omnipresence that is Allegedly Absent The Problem of Factual State Sovereignty Conclusions