Sovereignty is a term that is used to refer to the
independence and autonomy of modern nation states. Unlike earlier ages where
countries were ruled by Kings in historic times and by colonial powers in the
18th and 19th centuries, sovereignty refers to the fact of absolute
independence and autonomy that nation states have with respect to the decisions
taken by them in matters concerning their community.
Sovereignty means that nation states are free to decide for
themselves about the kind of democracy that they want, the kind of rulers that
they want, and their policies internally and externally. Often, the concept of
sovereignty is raised to define the distinction between taking decisions on
their own by nation states and resisting external pressures to power the
decision-making process. In this respect, sovereign nations are expected to be
autonomous and independent when they pursue policies that are in their interest
and their people’s interest and not according to the dictates of a foreign
power.
