Westphalian Sovereignty: Rights, Intervention, Meaning and Context

Hayman, P.A.; Williams, John

Abstract

Over the last two centuries or so sovereignty has proved to be an enigmatic institution, at once constant and changing. Presently, it faces sustained and diffuse siege. Relatively few studies have approached this enigmatic institution from a semantic angle. This paper assesses the meaning of sovereignty within a framework of competing logics as it faces up to a key normative challenge - human rights - bringing together the apparently conflicting norms of non-intervention and intervention against a background of discourse analysis. From "Westphalia" to the current logics of action and normative theory, the discussion places the institution of sovereignty against current, intra-disciplinary factors as an addition to the literature that serves to underscore how a fundamentally re-imagined concept is required, in theory and practice, to account for and promote humanitarian needs.

Citation

Hayman, P., & Williams, J. (2006). Westphalian Sovereignty: Rights, Intervention, Meaning and Context. Global Society, 20(4), 521-542. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600820600929879

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Jun 21, 2007
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 19, 2013
• Journal: Global Society
• Print ISSN: 1360-0826
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-798X
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 521-542
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13600820600929879
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1586788