Abstract
Sovereignty remains one of the oldest and most controversial concepts in international law and relations lending itself to diverse interpretations and presentation especially when it relates to political, economic, social issues and most recently, environmental and security issues. This article focuses on the viability of the concept of sovereignty in view of economic and other issues that have transcended sovereign boundaries and practically put the issue of sovereignty behind a veil. The transformation of the concept though continuous is more in form without any significant changes in its authority and power as countries still defend their sovereignty with all their power and resources. Although it has been argued that the concept of sovereignty has outlived its usefulness considering the fusion of several hitherto sovereign states into singular unions such as in the case of European Union, African Union and states being controlled by multilateral institutions such as WTO, World Bank, ECOWAS. This article argues that the concept of sovereignty remains as viable now as they were at the beginning. It contends that what we have is a situation where countries because of their diverse and increasing needs from various frontiers cede some of their competences alongside other countries to be able to address such needs. It is the inherent power in concept of State sovereignty that makes it possible for the countries to cede such competences and enter into such binding international relations. This inherent power cannot be eroded but can only be bent and stretched without losing form or authority. Countries on several occasions in the past have conditionally repressed their sovereignty for the purpose of achieving higher goals mostly economic, security and recently environment by joining regional unions such as African Union (AU), ECOWAS and signing different multilateral agreements such as ACFTA. Using various contemporary examples, the dissertation demonstrates the continued relevance and centrality of the concept of sovereignty in International Law today.
Lolomari-Nwankwo Ibisoye Ama
pp. 207 – 222
