Defining Down Sovereignty: The Rights and Responsibilities of Nations

Abstract

In a globalizing world where transnational terrorism poses a serious threat to the security of many people, the Westphalian system of state sovereignty based on the sanctity of borders is increasingly obsolete. Yet the current US approach to counterterrorism, which respects state sovereignty rhetorically while violating it in practice, is unsustainable. Building on the precedent of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) paradigm, and in keeping with a redefinition of sovereignty as a form of citizenship that entails responsibilities as well as rights, the international community should recognize a responsibility of states to curb transnational terrorism that emanates from within their borders.