Sovereignty Without a Nation: Somalia and the incomplete state

[Deeq A.]

In the grand theater of international law and politics, sovereignty and nationhood are often treated as interchangeable concepts. Yet history and practice reveal they are not. The Westphalian system, widely regarded as the foundation of modern state sovereignty, presupposes more than borders and flags. It rests on the existence of a shared political community—a nation. Without that foundation, sovereignty becomes a hollow shell, a legal fiction vulnerable to internal disintegration and external manipulation. Somalia illustrates the risks of sovereignty without nationhood. Its borders may be internationally recognized, but its deep internal divisions and the absence of a cohesive national identity render its sovereignty fragile, even performative.

Source: Hiiraan Online