Contemporary Challenges to Sovereignty

The preceding approaches and criticism of the traditional concept of legal supremacy of the State present theoretical perspectives against the centralized and organized authority of the State understood as sovereignty. In the following discussions, our aim is to present those factors and challenges that are the result of interactive processes and not theoretical but processual. These processual challenges emerge not only from the phenomenon called globalization but also from interstate relations including foreign policy intervention; subtle form of dependencies like neo-colonialism; interaction with para-statal organizations like MNCs, NGOs; influence of multilateral organizations like IMF, World Bank and WTO; global issues transcending state boundaries like environmental issues, nuclear issues and human rights and terrorism. There are also factors like intra-state ethnic and civil strife, sub-nationalism, and secessionist movements within the State that severely challenge and restrict the power of the State. Due to all these factors and processes we find that the traditional concept of the sovereignty stands severely challenged and at times, left doubtful both in terms of external and internal sovereignty.