State (Polity)

A State (Polity), also known as a Sovereign State, is a sovereign political entity that exercises supreme authority over a defined territory and population, characterized by a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, a government apparatus, international recognition, a national economy, and often a sense of collective identity.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) have a National Government Body, which includes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches responsible for governance and political organization at the national level.
  • It can (usually) be considered a Governed Society, as it possesses a sovereign government that exercises power over a defined territory and holds a monopoly on legitimate coercion.
  • It can (often) take the form of a Nation-State, where the political and cultural boundaries largely coincide, and there is a strong sense of shared identity among the population.
  • It can range from being a Minimal State, focused primarily on maintaining order and protecting property rights, to a Welfare State, which provides extensive public goods and services to its citizens.
  • It can range from being a Strong Sovereign State to being a Weak Sovereign State based on a state sovereignty score.
  • It can participate in international relations as a sovereign actor, engaging in diplomacy, trade, and conflict with other states.
  • It can face challenges to its sovereignty and autonomy from both internal threats, such as civil unrest or separatist movements, and external pressures, like foreign intervention or economic dependence.
  • It can be evaluated using State Capacity Measures, which assess its ability to effectively govern, implement policies, and maintain stability.
  • It may adopt various forms of government, such as a democracy, monarchy, republic, or authoritarian regime.
  • It can be classified based on its recognition status: widely recognized states, partially recognized states, and unrecognized states.
  • It can vary in terms of its economic system, adopting models like capitalism, socialism, or a mixed economy.
  • It can (typically) have a Legal System (which can be based on civil law, common law, religious law, or a combination).
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • United States: A federal constitutional republic with a strong central government, a diverse population, and a leading role in international affairs.
  • China: A unitary one-party state with a centralized government structure, a large population, and a rapidly growing economy.
  • Russia: A semi-presidential federation with a powerful executive branch, a vast territory, and significant influence in regional politics.
  • Iceland: A small, homogeneous nation-state with a parliamentary system, a high standard of living, and close ties to Europe.
  • Costa Rica (1821-): A Central American Country with a stable democracy, high human development, and no standing military.
  • India: A Multinational State which accommodates a vast diversity of languages, cultures, and religions.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • European Union: A supranational organization that pools sovereignty from its member states but does not possess all the characteristics of a State (Polity).
  • Palestine: A partially recognized state with limited control over its claimed territory and population, and ongoing conflicts with Israel.
  • Somaliland: A self-declared independent state that lacks widespread international recognition and faces challenges in maintaining stability and effective governance.
  • Multinational Corporations: Private entities that can wield significant power and influence across borders but do not possess the sovereign authority or political legitimacy of states.
  • Tibet and The Tibetans: A region and ethnic group that seeks greater autonomy or independence from China but lacks international recognition as a sovereign state.
  • Scotland and The Scots: A country within the United Kingdom with a distinct cultural identity but not a sovereign state.
  • Quebec nor The Quebecois.
  • Mohawk Nation Village.
  • a Tribal Society.
  • a Band-level Society.
  • ...
• See: Sovereignty, Governance, Legitimacy (Political), Social Contract, Monopoly on Violence, International Law, Failed State, Regime Type, State Formation, Treaty, Police Force, State Policy, Nation State, Treaty, Police Force, State Policy.

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References

2024

• Claude 3 Opus
  • This table provides a detailed breakdown of state sovereignty scores across multiple dimensions for 25 different states from various historical periods. The "OVERALL SCORE" column represents the aggregated sovereignty score based on the individual dimension scores. The "Stability" column indicates whether the state's sovereignty is stable or in transition at the given point in time.

State	Year	OVERALL SCORE	Stability	Domestic Sovereignty	Interdependence Sovereignty	International Legal Sovereignty	Westphalian Sovereignty	Technological Sovereignty	Economic Sovereignty	Cultural Sovereignty	Resource Sovereignty	Aspirational Sovereignty
United States	1776	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	High
United States	1900	MIXED	Stable	High	Medium	High	High	Medium	High	High	High	Low
United States	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Low
Canada	1867	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium
Canada	1950	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	Medium	High	High	High	Low
Canada	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Medium	Low
Venezuela	1811	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	High
Venezuela	1950	MIXED	Stable	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium	Medium	High	Low
Venezuela	2023	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	High	Medium
Germany	1871	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium	High	Medium	High
Germany	1950	LOW	In Transition	Medium	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Low	High
Germany	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Medium	Low
Jewish State	1897	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Low	High
Jewish State	1948	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium	High	Low	Medium
Jewish State	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Medium	Low
China	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	Medium	Medium	High	High	Medium	High	Medium	Low
Russia	2023	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	High	Medium
Somalia	2023	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium
Japan	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Low	Low
Taiwan	2023	MIXED	Stable	High	High	Low	Medium	High	High	High	Low	Medium
United Kingdom	1900	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	Low	High	High	High	Low
India	1947	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	Low	High	Medium	High
South Sudan	2011	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	High
Ukraine	2014	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Medium	High	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	High
Estonia	1991	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low	High
Brazil	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	Medium	Medium	High	High	Low
Syria	2023	LOW	In Transition	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Medium
Australia	2023	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	High	Low
North Korea	2023	MIXED	Stable	High	Low	Low	High	Low	Low	High	Medium	Medium
Roman Empire	117 AD	HIGH	Stable	High	High	High	High	Low	High	High	High	Low
Mongol Empire	1279 AD	HIGH	In Transition	High	Medium	Medium	High	Low	Medium	Low	Medium	Medium
Tokugawa Shogunate	1603 AD	HIGH	Stable	High	Low	Low	High	Low	Medium	High	Low	Low
Mayan Civilization	600 AD	MIXED	In Transition	High	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Low	High	Medium	Medium
Hanseatic League	1400 AD	MIXED	Stable	Low	High	Medium	Low	Low	High	Medium	Low	Medium
Inca Empire	1500 AD	HIGH	Stable	High	Low	Low	High	Low	Medium	High	Medium	Low
Kievan Rus	1000 AD	MIXED	In Transition	Medium	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium
Carthage	300 BC	HIGH	In Transition	High	High	Medium	High	Low	High	Medium	Low	Medium
Majapahit Empire	1350 AD	HIGH	In Transition	High	Medium	Low	High	Low	Medium	High	Medium	Medium
Ancient Egypt	1400 BC	HIGH	Stable	High	Low	Low	High	Low	Medium	High	High	Low

2013

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_state
  • A sovereign state is a nonphysical juridical entity of the international legal system that is represented by a centralized government that has supreme independent authority over a geographic area. It has a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither dependent on nor subject to any other power or state. The existence or disappearance of a state is a question of fact. While according to the declaratory theory of state recognition a sovereign state can exist without being recognised by other sovereign states, unrecognised states will often find it hard to exercise full treaty-making powers and engage in diplomatic relations with other sovereign states.

    The word “country” is often colloquially used to refer to sovereign states, although it originally means only a geographic region, and subsequently its meaning became extended to the sovereign polity which controls the geographic region. Wales, England, and Scotland are excellent examples of "countries" which are not states, since the state is the United Kingdom.

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