IB Global Politics The State Key Definitions

External sovereignty refers to a state’s ability to act independently in international affairs—outside its borders. It reflects how much power a state has when interacting with other states and global actors.

A failed state is a state that can no longer perform its core functions: providing security, maintaining the rule of law, and delivering basic public services to its population.

Refers to countries with lower levels of economic and industrial development, typically found south of more developed nations.

State legitimacy refers to the perceived right of a state to exercise authority and govern its people. It is a foundational concept in global politics, as it determines the stability, effectiveness, and acceptance of a government both domestically and internationally.

A nation state is a political unit in which a culturally or ethnically defined nation and a sovereign state broadly coincide, so the same group of people forms both the cultural community and the governing authority.

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a doctrine adopted at the 2005 UN World Summit holding that sovereignty is conditional: when a state fails to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, or crimes against humanity, the international community has the responsibility to intervene.

Sovereignty is a foundational concept in global politics, referring to the authority of a state to govern itself without external interference.

Sovereignty means a state's independence and control over its territory. States are expected to govern effectively, make decisions within their borders and control what happens inside their territory.

A state is a political and legal entity that holds sovereignty over a defined territory and population, claims the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within that territory, and is recognised as independent by other states.