Description
Sovereignty is the central pillar of the contemporary international system. All regional groupings mention in their constituent instruments, “sovereignty and independence” as a fundamental principle of their organization. Sovereignty presupposes the independence of states to conduct their affairs without the interference of others.
The principle embodies the basic roles in international relations and has its legal foundations from significant treaties and declarations of international organisations. The United Nations Resolution 2625 (xxv), provides that, “All states enjoy sovereign equality, they have equal rights and duties and are equal members of the international community, notwithstanding differences of economic, social, political, or other nature.” A myriad of problems confronting the principle in the contemporary world order have led scholars to doubt if sovereignty really exists in International Law. The inequality in economic, social, cultural and religious status are also negating factors which make this doctrine near impossible. Human rights violations as well as humanitarian interventions have often been cited as grounds upon which the sovereign status of states has been routinely violated.
