I teach History of International Relations since 1648 to undergraduate students at the Department of Political Science and International Relations in the University of Management and Technology, L,ore. The purpose of this course is to help students understand the context of the Treaty of Westphalia which gave birth to a modern international system in which states treat each other like sovereign entities.
The Treaty of Westphalia signed in 1648, brought peace to Europe in the aftermath of the Thirty Years War fought between Catholics and Protestants from 1618 till 1648 within the Holy Roman Empire and across the European continent, through a set of principles that became the basis of the modern international system. One key principle adopted in the Treaty of Westphalia for peace within Europe was the principle of sovereignty. It was collectively acknowledged that states would not intervene in each other’s affairs. Thus, the principle of nonintervention in the Treaty of Westphalia became the main pillar for the maintenance of peace across Europe.
Today, when we look at the international system, there are almost 195 states. All of them believe in the principle of sovereignty, a principle set by Europeans in the Treaty of Westphalia for the attainment of peace. It would not be wrong to say that today’s international system is based upon the Westphalian model in which all the states, no matter big or small, cherish the idea of sovereignty and consider that the principle of sovereignty should not be compromised when they are interacting in the global arena for the attainment of their interests.
Norms developed in the shape of sovereignty in the wake of the Treaty of Westphalia deserve credit because those norms not only back then when they were introduced in a particular context helped attain peace but later on helped maintain order and peace across the world in different points in time. However, in today’s inter-connected world where states are facing collective problems in the shape of climate change and there is a need for responsible collective response, the same principles of the Westphalian model are becoming an obstacle as every state under the cover of sovereignty is approaching the collective issue as per her convenience and is finding leeway to prioritize individual interest over collective interest, again by taking shelter in Westphalian norms in the shape of sovereignty.
In the name of sovereignty which is a Westphalian norm being enjoyed by all the states, some of the states are least concerned about how the problems bigger than themselves in the shape of climate change should be addressed. Their policies are driven by the pursuit of their vested interests and those policies are justified through the cover of Westphalian norms in the shape of sovereignty. A case in point is the lack of consensus existing among states on how we need to address the issue of climate change. Though the issue of climate change is right in front of all the states and is affecting all the states in unimaginable ways both in the North and South; however, no collective consensus is developing as every state is sovereign and no one can make a state accountable for what it does, thanks to Westphalian principle of sovereignty.
In the context of the world’s fight against climate change, we saw big powers like the USA withdrawing from key climate agreements totally under the cover of the Westphalian norm of sovereignty and no one could make it accountable. The point is that Westphalian norms developed for the attainment of peace at one point in time, especially in the shape of sovereignty, are becoming an obstacle in the way of resolving globally shared problems where countries need to act collectively and responsibly for their resolution.
Today, we are living in a world that is more interconnected and in which we have a lot of shared problems that need a collective responsible approach on the part of states. I believe that norms set in the Westphalian model, especially in the shape of sovereignty which are the defining features of the current international system, won’t help us resolve collective issues of today’s world. We need to reinvigorate the current international system with norms that prefer collectivity over exclusivity.
Climate change is not the only issue where Westphalian norms are backfiring. There are so many other issues where the world needs a collectively responsible approach on the part of states; however, since states are equipped with the Westphalian norm of sovereignty, no significant progress is being seen toward the resolution of those issues as the majority of the states are responding to those issues as per their convenience and are justifying their actions under the Westphalian norm of sovereignty. Some of the issues I am referring to are the issues of countering violent extremism, actualizing a zero-hunger world, ending poverty, and attainment of a gender-inclusive world, etc.
Keeping in view a wide range of global issues in today’s world where there is a need for a responsible collective response, I sometimes wonder whether with Westphalian norms, especially in the shape of sovereignty which states at times abuse as well we can find a solution to these global problems. Perhaps, there is a need to revisit the contemporary international system which is based upon the Westphalian model, and equip it with norms where the responsibility to act responsibly for the attainment of collective good trumps over everything else.
Today, we are living in a world that is more interconnected and in which we have a lot of shared problems that need a collective responsible approach on the part of states. I believe that norms set in the Westphalian model, especially in the shape of sovereignty which are the defining features of the current international system, won’t help us resolve collective issues of today’s world. We need to reinvigorate the current international system with norms that prefer collectivity over exclusivity.
