Why concept of sovereignty does not matter

You kindly published a letter from me (March 4) in which I said we should abandon sovereignty. I am delighted to see that Paul Morley took the time to read my letter and respond (March 7). Permit me to explain my thinking.

Sovereignty is the concept of a state being the supreme authority within its borders. Such authority carries with it the responsibility to protect its people.

This responsibility was confirmed (confirmed, please note; not created) by a resolution of the United Nations in 2005. The resolution said that when a state was unwilling, or unable, to protect; then; in the case of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; this responsibility shifted to the international community.

Through the UN, the international community should encourage and help states to fulfil this responsibility to protect. The intention was to help states which were under stress – before crises and conflict break out.

Should peaceful means be inadequate, then collective action would be taken through the Security Council of the UN.

With this background, the question is, why is nothing being done? Answer – because Russia and China veto it. The two largest states in need of help, veto it.

They abuse their powers, and repudiate their responsibilities, using sovereignty to enable them to be supreme authority, and answerable to no-one.

Using the pretext of protecting their own people, they justify their own aggression. All under the umbrella of sovereignty.

Genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, we thought were sorted; but they have been trumped by sovereignty. So far as I am concerned, the answer is to abandon sovereignty.

Paul Morley asks what will replace sovereignty. Nothing. The concept is nothing more than a thugs charter, and we can do without anything like that.

What about our sovereignty? We have no need for it. Democratic states like us, justify what we do, by doing the right thing; not because of sovereignty.

Our state rules by consent; not because of sovereignty. Our protection comes from being part of a community of states; not because of sovereignty.