Sovereignty, Legitimacy, and Authority

If power describes the capacity to shape outcomes, sovereignty, legitimacy, and authority describe the rightful organisation of that capacity. These three concepts explain how rule becomes accepted, why states claim supreme control over their territory, and how that claim is challenged in an interdependent world.

The meaning of sovereignty

Sovereignty is the principle of supreme authority within a territory. A sovereign state recognises no higher political authority over its internal affairs and claims the exclusive right to make and enforce laws within its borders. The concept is conventionally traced to the settlement that ended the Thirty Years' War in Europe in 1648, which is why the model is often called Westphalian sovereignty. Its core ideas are territorial integrity, the legal equa