WHITHER THE SOVEREIGN STATE? HUMANTARIAN INTERVENTION AND STATE SOVEREIGNTY

Abstract

<p>This thesis is an examination into the nature of sovereignty and humanitarian intervention since the end of the Cold War. This inquiry has tried to understand how the use of military force to secure safety zones, in order to safely deliver and distribute required humanitarian assistance, has effected commonly held beliefs about sovereign statehood. In particular, I have focussed on three questions: What does sovereignty mean to international relations in the 1990s, how has recent humanitarian intervention in Iraq and Somalia affected the sovereignty of the host state, and what lessons can be drawn from these recent cases in regards to both the future of humanitarian intervention and the future of sovereignty? In the end, I find that recent humanitarian intervention in Iraq and Somalia does not signal the end as sovereign statehood, but rather, demonstrates the central importance of sovereignty for international relations.</p>