Sovereignty

Sovereignty means the supremacy of power. In the current international discourse, it means that no one can interfere into the matters of sovereign states, as they are the supreme power on a given territory and over a given nation. Although the question of eroding sovereignty is highly contested, it is certainly true that in the beginning of the 21st century, the authority of states and their supremacy of power are somewhat transformed. What I want to say is that there are many new actors on the international arena that affect the ability of states to take autonomous decisions – big multinational corporations, international organizations, civil society, and the internet to mention a few.

However, when we talk about a church or a religious institution, their sovereignty on planet Earth is hardly contested, as the only supreme power above such organizations, they claim, is the God himself. Who would want to compete with that.

This, inevitably, brings me back to 1648 and the Treaty of Westphalia, which established the current international order of sovereigns (in those days, it could be a state, or a monarch, or a dynasty), and the logic of non-interference. More remarkable however, is that the treaty separated religion from the state, in the European context of course. Blessed be that day! I like the idea that we, mortals, can now challenge supremacy, i.e. sovereignty of states. Imagine living in a state where a religious organization claims supremacy – I wouldn’t like to try challenging the only institution above such sovereign – God.