ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

The Montevideo Convention of the Rights and Duties of States (1933) codified the declarative theory of statehood as accepted as part of customary international law and laid down the five requirements for statehood which are often summarized as ‘the principle of effectivity’: (a) permanent population...

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Main Author: Christoforos IOANNIDIS
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nicolae Titulescu University Publishing House 2014-05-01
Series:Challenges of the Knowledge Society
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Online Access:http://cks.univnt.ro/uploads/cks_2014_articles/index.php?dir=08_political_science_european_studies_and_IR%2F&download=CKS+2014_political_science_european_studies_and_IR_art.079.pdf
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author Christoforos IOANNIDIS
author_facet Christoforos IOANNIDIS
author_sort Christoforos IOANNIDIS
collection DOAJ
description The Montevideo Convention of the Rights and Duties of States (1933) codified the declarative theory of statehood as accepted as part of customary international law and laid down the five requirements for statehood which are often summarized as ‘the principle of effectivity’: (a) permanent population, (b) defined territory, (c) organised power (government) and (d) ability to enter into relations with other states. The aim of this article is to discuss the possibility of an additional requirement: popular sovereignty in a specific historic sense. I will also discuss whether this requirement should be regarded as a necessary and/or sufficient condition for statehood. The importance of this additional condition will be explained in the light of the legitimacy of exercise of power. Furthermore, it will be argued that this additional requirement may help promote the suggested primary goal of international law, that being justice (instead of peace as easily inferred by the UN Charter) in the specific sense of the protection of basic human rights, as suggested by Buchanan in Justice, Legitimacy and Self-Determination. It has to be noted that both main points, namely Buchanan’s suggested notion of justice as the primary goal of international law and my main argument of popular sovereignty in a specific historical sense as a requirement of statehood are not to be regarded as relating to any form of Natural Law Theory. It is not the case that I maintain that any international norm which violates justice as ethical foundation of international law is, because of that reason, legally invalid. Although the Legal Positivism vs Natural Law Theory is certainly not the focus of this paper, if one wishes to regard Legal Positivism and Natural Law Theory as mutually exclusive, my suggestion falls entirely under the umbrella of Legal Positivism for reasons that will be explained.
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spelling doaj-art-dcc89e616f3e48c4b72d71b48da170d22025-08-20T02:42:59ZengNicolae Titulescu University Publishing HouseChallenges of the Knowledge Society2068-77962068-77962014-05-0141745753ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAWChristoforos IOANNIDIS0PhD student, The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London (e-mail:christoforos.ioannidis@kcl.ac.uk).The Montevideo Convention of the Rights and Duties of States (1933) codified the declarative theory of statehood as accepted as part of customary international law and laid down the five requirements for statehood which are often summarized as ‘the principle of effectivity’: (a) permanent population, (b) defined territory, (c) organised power (government) and (d) ability to enter into relations with other states. The aim of this article is to discuss the possibility of an additional requirement: popular sovereignty in a specific historic sense. I will also discuss whether this requirement should be regarded as a necessary and/or sufficient condition for statehood. The importance of this additional condition will be explained in the light of the legitimacy of exercise of power. Furthermore, it will be argued that this additional requirement may help promote the suggested primary goal of international law, that being justice (instead of peace as easily inferred by the UN Charter) in the specific sense of the protection of basic human rights, as suggested by Buchanan in Justice, Legitimacy and Self-Determination. It has to be noted that both main points, namely Buchanan’s suggested notion of justice as the primary goal of international law and my main argument of popular sovereignty in a specific historical sense as a requirement of statehood are not to be regarded as relating to any form of Natural Law Theory. It is not the case that I maintain that any international norm which violates justice as ethical foundation of international law is, because of that reason, legally invalid. Although the Legal Positivism vs Natural Law Theory is certainly not the focus of this paper, if one wishes to regard Legal Positivism and Natural Law Theory as mutually exclusive, my suggestion falls entirely under the umbrella of Legal Positivism for reasons that will be explained.http://cks.univnt.ro/uploads/cks_2014_articles/index.php?dir=08_political_science_european_studies_and_IR%2F&download=CKS+2014_political_science_european_studies_and_IR_art.079.pdfstatehoodconstitutive and declarative theorypopular sovereigntygoal of international lawhuman rights
spellingShingle Christoforos IOANNIDIS
ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Challenges of the Knowledge Society
statehood
constitutive and declarative theory
popular sovereignty
goal of international law
human rights
title ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
title_full ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
title_fullStr ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
title_full_unstemmed ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
title_short ARE THE CONDITIONS OF STATEHOOD SUFFICIENT? AN ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AS AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR STATEHOOD, ON THE GROUNDS OF JUSTICE AS A MORAL FOUNDATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
title_sort are the conditions of statehood sufficient an argument in favour of popular sovereignty as an additional requirement for statehood on the grounds of justice as a moral foundation of international law
topic statehood
constitutive and declarative theory
popular sovereignty
goal of international law
human rights
url http://cks.univnt.ro/uploads/cks_2014_articles/index.php?dir=08_political_science_european_studies_and_IR%2F&download=CKS+2014_political_science_european_studies_and_IR_art.079.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT christoforosioannidis aretheconditionsofstatehoodsufficientanargumentinfavourofpopularsovereigntyasanadditionalrequirementforstatehoodonthegroundsofjusticeasamoralfoundationofinternationallaw