The Significance of Sovereignty

Question: Discuss about theSignificance of Sovereignty. Answer: Introduction: A Sovereign State is a state that is independent in power, which is ruled by a centralized sovereign government, which is a ruling body without any political interference from other external powers. A sovereign state can exist without being disturbed or even recognized by other states, but unless there is self sufficiency, which is a large impossibility, trade dealings and diplomatic talks go on between the states, promoting global harmony (Dworkin, 2002). A complete opposite political entity is a non-sovereign state, which are independent states, which have not yet been recognized of their sovereignty. While sovereign stated exercise de jure or legal control of their states; non sovereign states exercise de facto or factual, not legally approved control of their states. For a state to be declared as a sovereign state, it has to be recognized by the member states of the international community. There are several attributes to it such as permanence, exclusiveness, all-comprehensiveness, inalienability, unity, imprescriptibility, indivisibility, absoluteness and originality (Krasner, 2001). The Declarative theory of the International Law defines the requirements for the recognition of sovereignty as a defined territory, a permanent population, an efficient government, and a capacity to enter into relation with other states. The Constitutive theory advocates the sovereignty of a state upon its recognition by other sovereign states. This essay puts forth a question whether the sovereign status of a state is absolutely necessary to aid its development. In order to answer the question, the characteristics of sovereignty, its influence in geo-politics, its advantages and disadvantages are discussed, with respect to The Republic of China (Taiwan). The Question of Sovereignty Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, is an island in East Asia, with the highest population and economy when compared to the non-sovereign states outside of the UN. It is one such non-sovereign state, which has declared independence way back in 1912, but still is not recognized as a sovereign state globally. In 1971, it lost its UN membership to the Peoples Republic of China, and in the 1980s, the mode of governance in Taiwan changed from a single party system to a democratic multi-party system. However, there has been a constant tussle between the government of Taiwan seeking sovereignty, and the Peoples Republic of China claiming Taiwan as its province (Copper, 2003). However, it continues to maintain non-diplomatic relations with other states, in order to maintain trade and political relations, and as many as 52 nations from all over the world are involved in bilateral relations with Taiwan. In order to question the need for a sovereign status to Taiwan, we need to analyze the achievements made by Taiwan in six major areas of development, compared to an assumption of its standings if it were declared sovereign. Economy The economy of Taiwan is the 5th largest in Asia, after a quick recovery from the global economic crisis that occurred in the period 2007-2010., even though it reached an all time low in 2009. The major source for Taiwans economical stability is its foreign trade, and its export goods, mainly comprising of electronic and industrial parts are of high demand in the United States of America. Even though a non-recognized state, Taiwan is a part of the World Trade Organization (WTO). There is a visible absence of Taiwans foreign relations with the Peoples Republic of China (Winkler, 2008). However, the lack of interactions with its own neighbor does not seem to affect Taiwans economy; as it holds a key position in the Asian and Global economy (Berger Lester, 2015). Administration Taiwan was declared as a democratic state in the 1980s, when the multi party system came into force. However, political rifts between China and Taiwan have been continuing since long, and this had led to the issue always hampering the political progress of Taiwan (Swaine, 2004). This pressure often leads to impaired international relations with respect to trade and foreign affairs between the two neighboring states. Another issue includes wavering terms with the USA in relation to arms procurement. These are some of the issues which would be non-existent, if Taiwan was declared a sovereign state. However, high level negotiations and discussions are on between Taiwan and China, which is hoped to indicate a better future, aiming at a fully independent and sovereign Taiwan. Military The military of Taiwan dates back to the early 1920s, where it had to face defeat at the hands of Mainland China. However today, Taiwan has a strong military base, with the optimal use of advanced technology in their campaigns (Bush, 2005). The Taiwan army has to be constantly on guard, defending the state from insurgent attacks from China, though their initial motive was an aggressive stance to reclaim their land of China. Today, the Taiwan army is the first-line of defense of the state against any possible invasions. Taiwan has established strong support from several nations including Japan, the USA, and Australia, of assistance in case of any invasions, with the RIMPAC activities conducted every two years on its side. However, as every nation allied with Taiwan is an ally of China as well, establishing a strong Taiwanese army is essential (Dumbaugh, 2007) Education Taiwan has an impressive literacy rate of 97.15%. Initially managed by Japan before Taiwan took over, the education system of Taiwan is considered to be one of the toughest in the world (Hsu, 2004). Science It has been severely criticized for putting too much of pressure on the students, not providing scope for creative and rationale learning, and over-emphasizing on rote learning. In higher education, the stream of Engineering is the most sought after by the students, as Taiwan has a large market in the manufacturing sector. Due to the increase in competition for higher education, whether within the state or abroad, there is a great demand for privately managed cram-schools and tutorials, where students attend crash courses to improve their expertise (Mok, 2003). Healthcare Taiwan is a developed economy, so the healthcare challenges faced by the people are similar to those in the USA obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Healthcare is managed by the National Health Insurance, which has 99% coverage (Chiu et al., 2007). The NHI is highly stringent in its laws and policies, demanding patient satisfaction as its primary achievement. However, there are issues with the Taiwan government not allocating sufficient funds to healthcare, and an absent national healthcare regulatory body, which leads to a comparatively lower quality of healthcare being provided to the people. Sports In sports, Taiwan competes under the name Chinese Taipei. This is mainly due to its non-sovereignty, and opposition from the PRC (Luo Wang, 2002). Taiwan excels in sports like archery, baseball, basketball, football, lawn tennis, and martial arts like taekwondo. It has several champion sportspersons, with the weightlifters and archers bringing in medals in the recently concluded summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sporting talent apart, the name Chinese Taipei is deliberately questionable, as it might reflect the Republic of China, or in reference to provincial hold of the PRC on Taiwan. However, the ambiguity does not seem to affect the sporting performance of the Taiwanese sportspersons. Having analyzed the developmental parameters of Taiwan, it is found to provide an ambiguous answer, as in most cases, lack of the States sovereignty does not affect the nations performance. In spite of being a non-sovereign, wannabe state, Taiwan has shown great strides of development, and has competed with several other nations and super powers in trade and economy. It has managed to ally with one of the worlds largest super power nations, and thus has obtained the support of most nations of the world, lest a military insurgency is planned against it. Taiwan is one among the toppers of the worlds literacy rates, which is a result of a healthy and stable economy. It is self sufficient in its produce, and has a high demand and export value for its products. It has a fairly healthy population, which is an indication of an overall prosperity. If Taiwan was a sovereign republic, the political issues would cease to exist. It need not compete in the international sporting arena under a pseudonym, and it would have support from the United Nations for many issues. However, given todays economic and educational strength, declaration of its sovereignty would be an asset than a need, but would still be welcome. Conclusion Sovereignty is a states right to itself, provided efficient rule is established. It is right for an established nation to take over another nations responsibility only if the former is unable to rule effectively. Taiwan, with its efficient management, growing economy, and high literacy and healthcare rates, has surpasses many developing nations in its progress. If this is the case without sovereignty, a sovereign Taiwan would top the world giving a stiff competition to other major developed nations. The question of whether the sovereign status of a state is absolutely necessary to aid its development can be answered with a yes and a no; a no for sovereignty not being the key factor in any development, and a yes as it is always good and safe to be completely independent in rule and identity. Thus, sovereignty promotes independence, inter-dependence, and a harmonious world at large. References Berger, S. Lester, R.K., 2015. Global Taiwan: Building competitive strengths in a new international economy. Routledge. Bush, R.C., 2005. Untying the knot: Making peace in the Taiwan Strait. Brookings Institution Press. Chiu, W.T., Yang, C.M., Lin, H.W. Chu, T.B., 2007. Development and implementation of a nationwide health care quality indicator system in Taiwan. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(1), pp.21-28. Copper, J.F., 2003. Taiwan: Nation-state or province? Boulder, CO. Dumbaugh, K., 2007. Taiwan: Recent Developments and US Policy Choices. 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