International Law and Sovereignty

It is well noted in the literature of international law that the primary challenge facing the discipline of international law is the problem of how order is created and observed among sovereign states. This necessarily leads to different paradigms in exploring contemporary explanations of sovereignty and the powers and limits of sovereignty. Most notably, sovereignty (whether embodied in governmental institutions, quasi-government institutions or non-governmental institutions) furthers itself through the expansion of power manifested through territorial gain, economic gain and advancement of its institutional imprint. Will international law in a now globalized economy of “sovereign equals” further a new order and narrative of sovereignty? Are we now in a post-modern narrative of sovereign equality between nation-states?