STATE SOVEREIGNTY IN GEORGIAN POLITICAL THINKING AND PRACTICE

Gulbaat RTSKHILADZE

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Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, D.Sc. (Political Science), fellow at the German Analytical Projekt-Planung Center (Tbilisi, Georgia)

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The Problem and Theme of the Study

Along with the concepts of “state” and “territory,” sovereignty is one of the central themes both in the study and practice of international relations. The sovereignty issue is all-important for Georgia as a post-Soviet “transition state” still working on its statehood.

State sovereignty and state independence are inextricably related to the nation-state as the main actor in the contemporary international system. (There is no doubt that Georgia is one such state.) Independence within a nation-state can be rationally substantiated as a political tool used to achieve and realize the highest values, as well as specific positive aims and tasks pursued by the population of any sovereign state taking due account of its economic, scientific, cultural, spiritual, etc. development, which cannot be affected by outside factors. Aristotle regarded state sovereignty as a tool in the context of his “happy state” conception; a sovereign state helped realize the highest values and achieve the ultimate aims of its population. On the other hand, Aristotle pointed out: “For a state is not a mere aggregate of persons, but a union of them sufficing for the purposes of life.” This is not a purely instrumental and axiological idea of statehood and sovereignty—the philosopher supplied their final axiological interpretation. Normally nation-states regard sovereignty as their highest value and…………….

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