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Explores the nature of sovereignty. A review of Jean Bodin's (1576) treatment of sovereignty emphasizes his understanding of sovereignty as totally exclusive to the state & his preference for a monarchical state. Bodin's conceptualization is contrasted with that of Thomas Hobbes. The French Revolution reaffirmed the contention that sovereignty was embodied in the monarchical state; however, the political liberals' attempt to establish ethical & juridical notions of sovereignty are deemed problematic. Johannes Althusius's (1603) conceptualization of sovereignty is contrasted with Bodin's understanding, highlighting Althusius's assertion that sovereignty emanates from the general population. In addition, the incompatibility of Bodin's notion of sovereignty with the concept of subsidiarity is discussed in terms of contemporary federalism. J. W. Parker

Africans "have begun moving away from colonially designed juridical statehood to fashion empirical formulas that respond to the messiness of their current realities. Only time will reveal whether these new, flexible structures prove an effective response to … state weakness."

An institutional perspective insists that past choices constrain present options, that the preferences and capabilities of individual actors are conditioned by institutional structures which persist even if circumstances change. In a world of nuclear weapons and economic interdependence, any adequate analysis of the nature of sovereignty operationalized with regard to transborder controls and extraterritoriality must be informed by an institutional perspective. (Abstract amended)