Lec.5 State PDF

The State  I- Concepts: what is a state? What is a nation? II- The elements of the state. III- The role of the state. IV- Difference between effective, weak and failed states. Outline V- The difference between unitary and federal states....

The State  I- Concepts: what is a state? What is a nation? II- The elements of the state. III- The role of the state. IV- Difference between effective, weak and failed states. Outline V- The difference between unitary and federal states. VI- Theories of the origin of the state. In each topic, the study material will be stated. I- Concepts: (pp.64) What is a state? The state is a political association claiming ultimate rule-setting and rule-enforcing authority within their borders. Max Weber defintion: The state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory. States are artificial creations; they come and go and change. 💡The Peace of Westphalia (1648), concluded at the end of the Thirty Years’ War, is often taken to have formalized the modern notion of statehood, by establishing the state as the principal actor in domestic and international affairs. Former Soviet Union Former Yugoslavia I- Concepts: What is a nation? A nation is a population with a certain sense of itself, a cohesiveness, a shared history and culture, and often (but not always) a common language. I- Concepts: The relation between state and nation: Nation-state: a state associated with a particular nation. Which came first, states or nations? Many suppose nations did, but in most cases, states created their nations. Many developing states are facing the crises of nation-building. Mismatch between states and nations-> may lead to tensions and civil wars. Mononational states, in which only one nation exists within the territory of a state, are extremely rare. II- The elements of the state (only lectures) Territory Population Government Sovereignty Recognition II- The elements of the state Territory Every state occupies a specific geographical area. The territory of the state includes land, water and space. The territory is defined by borders. Wars occur when territorial claims overlap. Iran–Iraq War 1980-88 II- The elements of the state Population Every state has people within its borders. Ideally, it should be a population with a sense of cohesion of being a distinct nationality. II- The elements of the state Government: A government controls the state apparatus at a given time. 💡 Branches of Governmnent: - Executive (execute and enforce the laws..etc) - Legislature (make laws) - Judiciary (interpret laws) II- The elements of the state Sovereignty Sovereignty, in its simplest sense, is the principle of absolute and unlimited power. Sovereignty is a fundamental principle of the modern statehood, in which the state has supreme authority and full control overall its boundaries, and complete freedom from external control. ØInternal dimension: States have complete control over the territory, impose laws..etc ØExternal dimension: § states are independent. § answer to no higher authority , § no foreign states can intervene in the internal affairs of other state (Non- intervention in internal affairs). II- The elements of the state Cont’d Sovereignty Characteristics of sovereignty: 1. Absolute: no higher authority over the state. 2. Universal (All Comprehensiveness): applied over all the people, groups, Institutions with the state. 3. Permanent: Sovereignty lasts as long as an independent state lasts. 4. Inalienable: “Sovereignty can no more be alienated than a man can transfer his life or personality to another without self-destruction”. Sovereignty in practice??? II- The elements of the state Recognition Recognition of the state. In international law, recognition is the process in which a state acknowledges another entity as a state. Recognition of the government. Announcement During the lecture, a 20-minute quiz will take place on Sunday, 3rd of November, including the 1st four lectures.