Date of Graduation

Winter 12-14-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

International Studies

First Advisor

Keally McBride

Abstract

This paper uses the European Union as a case study to look at sovereignty and the formation of a new type of sovereignty which both diverges and interacts with existing state sovereignty. The European Union is developing a new form of non-state sovereignty which diverges from traditional conceptions in three ways: The EU is a non-state actor; unlike in the past, a body is operating with and exercising sovereign rights outside of the nation-state formation. Secondly, the sovereignty of both the European Union and its member states overlaps. Both maintain exclusive responsibilities often tied to the state, but with the EU also taking over some essential functions of the state and sharing some responsibilities with the member states. Finally, the state no longer has a monopoly on the security apparatus within the state; the EU has an influence on the makeup of the police and military in individual countries within its domain. Despite these divergences from what is traditionally considered necessary for a body to be sovereign, the E.U. has created a structure which is de facto sovereign.

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