SOVEREIGNTY

in political theory, the ultimate overseer, or authority, in the decision-making process of the state and in the maintenance of order. The concept of sovereignty, one of the most controversial ideas in political science and international law, is closely related to the difficult concepts of state and government, of independence and democracy. Originally, as derived from the Latin term superanus through the French term souverainet, sovereignty was meant to be the equivalent of supreme power. It has departed, however, quite often from this traditional meaning.