Forms of Sovereignty, Instances of Violence

In today’s world, there are exceptionally strong states that in their policies and actions go beyond traditional sovereignty into what has been called imperial sovereignty; there are weak states and quasi-states, victims of imperial sovereignty. This happens in many ways: by aggressive acts of war (e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya), or by intrusive policies brought about via supranational agencies (e.g., World Bank and IMF); finally, there are peoples who are denied sovereignty to begin with, such as the Palestinians and the indigenous peoples in all areas of the colonized world, including the United States. When we widen the concept of sovereignty beyond state politics to comprise areas of civil society and everyday life, we find many other situations in which people, collectivities, are denied sovereignty (or autonomy). Some instances of this include prisoners, migrant workers and workers in general, non-citizens but also citizens themselves (when they are not part of the 1%). The violent way in which mayors and police departments of various US cities have reacted to the Occupy movement is a clear indication of the extent to which even non-state agents have or do not have sovereignty. In other words, state security stands in opposition to human security. The panel intends to explore the question as to whether sovereignty can still be useful in political and social life, or whether it must be eliminated as a hindrance to true freedom, justice, and peace.