Some Thoughts on the Future of Sovereignty in International Law Twenty Years from Now

Abstract

As we entered the twenty-first century questions were asked about the traditional Westphalian concept of sovereignty as part of the construction of a more coordinated international response to various humanitarian crises. The resulting 2005 World Summit Outcome document recognised that sovereignty carried responsibilities and if a state was unwilling (or unable) to meet those responsibilities then the international community could intervene. With the implementation of this principle (the responsibility to protect) the focus has shifted from respecting sovereignty to safeguarding the victims of the various crimes falling within the scope of the principle thus adding a new dimension to international law. It must be recognised that this is a very limited exception to sovereignty but it is not the only exception as international law has become increasingly fragmented with the introduction of various self-contained regimes in which special rules and techniques of interpretation apply. Included among these self-contained regimes is the law of the World Trade Organization. In 2006 the International Law Commission published their report on Fragmentation of International Law: Difficulties arising from the Diversification and Expansion of International Law. It concluded that although fragmentation has raised questions about the coherence of international law, it has increased its responsiveness to the regulatory context without seriously undermining legal security, predictability or the equality of States. This has been achieved through what the report characterised as a "basic professional tool-box" of interpretative techniques and the position accorded to jus cogens and obligations erga omnes. The tool-box has allowed international law to respond to various concerns, such as economic development, human rights and environmental protection but the resulting international legal system lacks the coherence exhibited by domestic legal systems. At this point, it must be recognised that that coherence has been increasingly undermined as problems having a regional or multilateral dimension require externally-sourced solutions which have an impact on sovereignty. If international law continues to respond to these problems through self-contained regimes then the fragmentation of international law will continue and sovereignty will continue to diminish. This contribution examines the continuing refinement of the tool-box as one method of addressing these problems before sketching an outline of a hierarchical system which could provide a solution to these problems. Both of these solutions have important implications for the future of sovereignty.