Redefining the principal of sovereignty

"It is time to consider the principal of sovereignty as a responsibility," writes Amitai Etzioni, a professor at George Washington University. "The idea implies a radical shift in the vision of self-determination that has prevailed since the Peace of Westphalia, dating back to 1648. ... Sovereignty, under the new definition, is conditional: a State can maintain its sovereignty only if it accepts its responsibilities to its citizens and to the international community. Hence, a government that is incapable of protecting its people against ethnic cleansing, as was the case in Rwanda or Kosovo, or against famine, as in Nigeria, is considered to be a government that has forfeited its right to independence. From this point, the UN is completely within its rights if it issues an order to intervene in the internal affairs of this State."

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