The Theoretical Framework

Abstract

From the seventeenth century onward, Western sovereignty was injected into Arab regions by methods such as unequal treaties, capitulations, protectorate systems, conventions, contracts, coercion, and imposition.¹ In a system in which the dominant actors were Western, it is not surprising that the concept of sovereignty is arranged according to a Western paradigm. Western sovereignty, thanks to the current distribution of power in the international system, has visible dominance over other types. Non-West states are expected to follow and adopt Western interpretations of sovereignty, as the distribution of power has shaped the system-wide circulation of that specific type of sovereignty. Thus, the worldwide supremacy of Western sovereignty should be analyzed within the context of an eternal struggle between Western and traditional paradigms.