The Concept of Suspended Sovereignty in International Law and Its Implications in International Politics

Abstract

The concept of suspension of sovereignty is not new in the legal and political discourses in international relations. It has been employed mainly to describe dramatic and extreme situations in which a clear rupture is observed between the legal proposition of internal sovereignty and the social and political realities on the ground. A prominent example has been the case of foreign occupation. The recent UN Security Council Resolutions on Kosovo and East Timor rekindled interest in the concept of suspended sovereignty and raised new perspectives about its function and role in international politics because it is the product of legitimate international processes representing a further evolution of models of international political authority. Thus, the possible future crystallization of such a concept in international law should be seen and explored more as an opportunity to increase the transparency and accountability of international transitional administrations and less as a chance to reintroduce hierarchical relations in international politics.