Taken from my lectures as a Teaching Fellow in International Law, these reflections highlight how State sovereignty and International Law are profoundly influenced by globalization, economic integration and digital technologies, raising fundamental questions about global governance, State autonomy and the adaptation of legal structures to new economic and technological realities.

Part III

Globalization and political power

The economic globalization has fundamentally redefined the relationship with State-imposed regulations, turning it fluid, unstable, and continuously evolving. The contraction of space and time, driven by technological progress, culminates in the obliteration of physical distances; an emblematic phenomenon of our digital age. Technology, by erasing geographical boundaries, ushers in a new global order, a boundaryless mosaic where time seems to condense into an ethereal instant and physical reality transforms into a digital domain, dissolving matter into a virtual ether. The current era witnesses the merging of the real and the virtual into a singular, indistinguishable reality that is simultaneously dual-faced, surpassing the traditional dichotomy. This fusion marks the end of the national borders era, propelling us into a homogenized global dimension, where unified space heralds an era of universal time.
In the realm of transnational dynamics, an identity emerges that is hybrid, devoid of territorial roots, challenging conventional social and political categories, transforming the legal framework in response to the demands of a global market. In this context, transnational corporations sketch a new order – a “nomos” – that navigates between the local and the global, between the aspirations of a borderless market and the constraints of nation-States, reflecting the complexity of an interconnected world.

The re-evaluation of the State in the global age reveals a radical transformation: the State, traditionally a pillar of authority, power, and decision-making, confronts the pervasiveness of the global economy and the thinning of its sovereignty. Digital technologies and the Internet rewrite the geopolitical rules, eroding the territorial foundations of State sovereignty and promoting an economy’s de-territorialization that transcends national borders, ushering in an era of interconnected global markets elusive to definite localization.
Against this backdrop, new geometries of power and law emerge, where the virtual reality of the economy and the tangible reality of law intertwine, outlining a landscape where transnational dynamics redefine the relationship between State and market. Economic globalization challenges State supremacy, giving rise to an era of reversals: the market assumes a position of dominance over the State, redefining traditional hierarchies and marking a profound discontinuity between the national dimensions of law and the transnational dimensions of the economy.
In this fluid and dynamic context, transnational corporations emerge as new protagonists, shaping legal and economic spaces according to logics independent of State sovereignty. The transnational economic reality and national law coexist in constant tension, reflecting the complexity of a world where old certainties are questioned, and new forms of dominance and resistance emerge. In such a landscape, a new binary order of dominators and dominated manifests, a dichotomy reflecting the inherent inequalities of the globalization era, where technology and finance rewrite the rules of the game, relegating many to the margins of a system that privileges a few chosen ones.

Taken from my lectures as a Teachinig Fellow in International Law at Università degli Studi “Link”, these reflections highlight how State sovereignty and International Law are profoundly influenced by globalization, economic integration and digital technologies, raising fundamental questions about global governance, State autonomy and the adaptation of legal structures to new economic and technological realities.

Part II

International Law and economics

The periodic transformation of Private International Law invariably prompts questions regarding the existence of a public international organization endowed with the authority to promulgate regulations and ensure their adherence and implementation. The safeguarding of interests that transcend those of individual States was addressed through the establishment of the League of Nations and subsequently the United Nations. These entities mandated States to relinquish their right to engage in war and to uphold the fundamental rights delineated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The concept of sovereign power as a market regulator diminished and ultimately vanished with the emergence of the European Community, which redefined national States from absolute sovereigns to associative sovereigns, thereby rendering the notion of sovereignty fluid and incompatible with rigid definitions.
The ascendancy of the concept of “supranationality” signifies a departure from the traditional notion of sovereignty, the decline of the conventional State model, and a redefinition of power, which is no longer confined to the territory under the sovereignty of individual States. By ceding portions of their power to supranational bodies and institutions, national States adopt a supplementary role, becoming components of a system characterized by layered sovereignties and integral to a global interaction framework where sovereignty is systematically dispersed and subject to the compelled abdication of increasing segments of authority.
Globalization is typified by the progressive self-regulation of the economy, asserting its independence from the State, which assumes an increasingly peripheral role. National sovereignty wanes as economic and social interactions become de-territorialized, accentuating the importance of transnational economic regulation and the centralization of global political decision-making. The market, evolving into an independent legal regime along with the lex mercatoria, reshapes global economic regulations, underscoring the adaptability and flexibility of transnational economic law.
Transnational corporations, unshackled from territorial constraints, represent a novel form of global sovereignty, orchestrating their operations according to the demands of the global market without specific allegiance to any State. This evolution signifies a pivotal shift in the State’s role in favour of market dynamics propelled by transnational enterprises, which emerge as central pillars of the global economy, influencing economies and markets through their investment decisions.
Within the European Union, the interplay between interdependence and the collision of sovereignties is especially salient, given its distinctive historical, cultural, and institutional attributes. European integration epitomizes a vital model for global cooperation. Nonetheless, the global financial crisis, epitomized by the sovereign debt and financial institutions crisis in Europe that commenced in 2008, has significantly impacted this integration process. Economic adversities may foster divergent dynamics: they may necessitate expanded collaboration, yet simultaneously encourage trends towards protectionism, hostility, and the resurgence of nationalism and populism. However, not all conflicts or procedural delays within international or supranational decision-making frameworks yield negative outcomes. In certain instances, the mutual dependency between States and communal entities may even intensify. The Economic and Monetary Union, for example, rests on four principal strategic pillars for the future: 1) harmonization of financial and banking oversight systems; 2) implementation of coordinated or unified strategies for taxation, joint budget management, and public debt mutualization; 3) centralization of directives for economic policy and national structural reforms; 4) introduction of new frameworks and structures to enhance the democratic legitimacy of EU and Eurozone central authorities. Nevertheless, the path toward European integration can be fraught with conflicts, where central powers, although legitimized and shaped by the national interests of dominant nations, tend to constrain national sovereignties, with various implications for community identity. At times, the integration process may appear uncertain, hesitant, and at times inefficient, influenced also by actors representing specific interests, potentially in conflict with collective ones. The ideal objective would be to channel sovereign tensions into a catalyst for augmented cooperation.

Taken from my lectures as a Teachinig Fellow in International Law at Università degli Studi “Link”, these reflections highlight how State sovereignty and International Law are profoundly influenced by globalization, economic integration and digital technologies, raising fundamental questions about global governance, State autonomy and the adaptation of legal structures to new economic and technological realities.

Part I

The role played by States within the international community

In the tapestry of the international arena, the dual concept of “sovereignty and independence” emerges as a foundational dyad, defining the essence and the prerogatives that are inherent to the identity of modern States. These attributes have persisted with remarkable consistency across the centuries, asserting themselves with renewed vigor in the current era of globalization.
From the inception of institutionalized international law with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, each State is recognized as sovereign – acknowledged as supreme and unanswerable to any superior authority – and is endowed with the exclusive jurisdiction over its territory, embodying the principle of non-interference in domestic affairs by other States. Within this framework, the individual is subsumed under the State, considered part of its sovereign domain.
The legal scaffolding of sovereignty in international law highlights the State’s inalienable right over its territory, establishing a singular authority over its inhabitants. This authority encompasses the exclusive right to govern and the capacity to enforce its will through coercive means if necessary, precluding any external encroachments on its autonomy.
Sovereignty, thus, is a principle that delineates identity and difference, straddling the realms of the transcendental and the empirical. It encapsulates the State’s autonomy, its inherent capacity to govern free from external subjugation, and positions the State as both subject and object within the domain of cognizance.
The essence of sovereignty is encapsulated in the ius imperii, the fundamental authority to command and govern, an authority that originates from the State itself and does not owe its legitimacy to any higher power. This original power establishes the geographical bounds of sovereignty, contained within the territorial limits where the State’s authority is exercised.
This construct of sovereignty fosters a relationship of coordination among States, a dynamic interplay replacing the hierarchical notions of subordination and superordination, reflecting a polycentric legal universe where the sovereignty of one State is balanced against that of another.
The evolution of the nation-State is rooted in the principle of sovereignty, an originality that confers upon States the legitimacy to wield authoritative powers independently. This sovereignty is manifested both internally, as the supreme authority over all domiciled entities, and externally, marking the state’s equal standing among its international peers.
The emergence of international and supranational entities has nuanced the concept of sovereignty, catalyzing a redefinition of State powers and their domains of influence. This recalibration acknowledges that certain communal interests are better served beyond the confines of national boundaries.
The acknowledgment and respect for State sovereignty remain pivotal in the ethos of the international community. The principle of effectiveness underscores the State’s presence and authority within the international milieu, predicated on its tangible establishment and dissolution.
The contemporary discourse on sovereignty navigates the tensions between the vertical legitimacy and horizontal legality, reflecting on Hegel’s dialectic of the universal and the particular. This interplay underscores the dual nature of sovereignty as both a transcendental order and a contractual horizontal pact among equals.
The narrative of sovereignty and its evolution reflects a dynamic shift towards recognizing the importance of a public international organization capable of legislating and enforcing global norms. This shift, exemplified by the establishment of the League of Nations and the UN, marks a transition from the traditional paradigms of sovereign power towards a more integrated and cooperative international order.
In conclusion, the dialogue on sovereignty and its transformation in the context of globalization and supranational governance underscores the intricate balance between maintaining State autonomy and embracing the collective governance of shared global challenges. This ongoing evolution reflects the adaptive nature of sovereignty in the face of changing international dynamics, heralding new forms of governance that navigate between the traditional sovereign State and emerging global governance structures.