Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, the states of the developing world have jealously guarded their sovereignty. With the end of the Cold War, however, the definition and understanding of state sovereignty has become the subject of debate within the international community. The United Nations and Western countries have pushed for an interpretation of sovereignty that links the legitimacy of a state to its responsibilities to its people. International initiatives have tried to define the conditions under which the international community has an obligation to engage in humanitarian intervention. In addition, economic, political and environmental ‘globalization’ has led many observers to argue that sovereign states need to combine their powers and resources in order to manage their survival in an interconnected world.