The Costs of Respecting Sovereignty

Orbis, Spring 2010

16 Pages Posted: 28 Sep 2013

See all articles by Jakub Grygiel

Jakub Grygiel

Johns Hopkins University - Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Date Written: 2010

Abstract

Abstract: Respect for sovereignty can be an effective tool to manage relations between states, drawing boundaries of acceptable behavior. But there are also clear costs of respecting sovereignty. A foreign policy based on a principled defense of sovereignty can be, in fact, morally wrong, politically illegitimate, and strategically dangerous. This does not mean that sovereignty should be broken wantonly, but only that prudential judgment must be exercised to weigh the costs and benefits of respecting the sovereignty of a state. In the end, our security and our values, not the principle of sovereignty, should be the metric by which we should judge the necessity and legitimacy of U.S. actions.

Suggested Citation

Grygiel, Jakub, The Costs of Respecting Sovereignty (2010). Orbis, Spring 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2331806

Jakub Grygiel (Contact Author)

Johns Hopkins University - Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) ( email )

1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-1984
United States

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