Divisible Sovereignty and the Reconstruction of Iraq

Seeking to make sense of conflicting views regarding the continued relevance of the notion of sovereignty, this article argues that there is a discrepancy between international norms and practices. This discrepancy is rooted in conflicting understandings of the term sovereignty. By building on the link between sovereignty, the state of emergency, and the dialectic of auctoritas and potestas, this article proposes a new reading of sovereignty based on an understanding taken from Hugo Grotius. The argument formulated posits that the current political impasse in Iraq can only be adequately analysed through the lens of divisible sovereignty, and that such a perspective will aid in judging future developments in Iraq and in forecasting the political success or failure of post-war reconstruction there.