Islamic State’s Qutbist Statehood: a Systemic Threat to the Concept of Sovereignty as a Primary Institution in the English School of International Relations

Abstract

Abstract: The insurgent organisation called Islamic State (IS) has changed the paradigm of the territorial statehood, by threatening the concept of Westphalian and international legal sovereignty. IS’s medieval caliphate territorial project is based on a powerful anti-secular interpretation of the sovereignty. IS’s interpretation of the sovereignty is inspired by Sayyid Qutb’s thought, who said the Western concept of sovereignty is in contrast with Islam. State actors generally accept sovereignty, according to the English School of International Relations, as one of the systemic principles of order, defined as “primary institutions.” Consequently, Qutbist statehood represents an ideological challenge to these ideas. Keywords: Islamic State, caliphate, sovereignty, Qutb, English School, primary institution.