State sovereignty is constituted by the nation-state system, not prior to it

Evidence

The sovereign power of modern states was not formed prior to their involvement in the nation-state system, even in the European state system, but developed in conjunction with it. Indeed, the sovereignty of the modern state was from the first dependent upon the relations between states, in terms of which each state (in principle if by no means always in practice) recognised the autonomy of others within their own borders. — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 172

Categorization

• XREF: Links to Giddens’s ‘reflexive monitoring’ theme and to Luhmann’s point that the institution (state system) grounds individual/state authority — relevant to the reader’s thesis about institutional grounding. — connects to: A capitalist society is a society only because it is a nation-state — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 153; State sovereignty is defined and limited by existing international rules. — HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (Clarendon Law…, 522; New states become automatically bound by international law without consenting to it. — HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (Clarendon Law…, 528 (+8 more)
• DEFINE: Clarifies that sovereignty is relational and system-dependent, not a pre-existing property of states — key for applying system trust theory.

Related

• States gain global influence only by surrendering some sovereignty (similarity 0.81)
• New states become automatically bound by international law without consenting to it. (similarity 0.81)
• No single group holds ultimate sovereign control in modern states (similarity 0.80)
• State power derives from sovereign capabilities, not merely economic wealth (similarity 0.80)
• Nations are continually reborn and transformed, not fixed entities (similarity 0.79)
• State sovereignty is defined and limited by existing international rules. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• State sovereignty is defined and limited by existing international rules. #corroborates (0.80) — HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (Clarendon Law…, 522
• New states become automatically bound by international law without consenting to it. #corroborates (0.60) — HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (Clarendon Law…, 528
• Nation-state formation generates founding myths that legitimate ruling-class orders #expands (0.50)