Sovereignty

Sovereignty is generally defined as supreme, independent control and lawmaking authority over a territory. It is expressed through the power to rule and make law. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy, which refers to the ability of a state to act independently in international affairs. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate authority over its citizens and the power to modify existing laws. In political theory, sovereignty is a substantive term designating supreme legitimate authority over some polity.

Under the UN Charter, the Organization is based on the sovereign equality of its members, while Article 2(7) restricts UN intervention in matters essentially within a state's domestic jurisdiction but does not prejudice enforcement measures under Chapter VII. Under Article 42, the Security Council may take action by air, sea or land forces as may be necessary when measures under Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved inadequate to maintain or restore international peace and security. The Responsibility to Protect, endorsed by UN member states at the 2005 World Summit, concerns genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; when peaceful means are inadequate and national authorities manifestly fail to protect their populations, member states expressed readiness for collective action through the Security Council, in accordance with the Charter and on a case-by-case basis.

A state is generally considered to have sovereignty over a territory when it has consistently exercised state authority there without objection from other states. De jure sovereignty refers to the legal right to do so; de facto sovereignty refers to the factual ability to do so. This can become an issue of special concern upon the failure of the usual expectation that de jure and de facto sovereignty exist at the place and time of concern, and reside within the same organization.