- What does this sovereignty on the part of a nation imply?
- How else do countries preserve their sovereignty?
When a person is autonomous to make decisions that only concern him, that is, he does not submit his decision to the criteria of another person, it is said that said person is independent and autonomous.
Extending this to the case of countries, when a country makes its decisions regarding certain matters without consulting other countries, it is said that it is a free and sovereign nation or that it seeks to preserve its sovereignty. In fact, sovereignty is a fundamental right of any state in the international community.
What does this sovereignty on the part of a nation imply?
There are times when a person, no matter how independent and autonomous, in some cases must submit some of their decisions to the criteria of other people.
For example, according to the regulations of your institution, a student may need permission from the educational authorities to wear a certain outfit on the premises.
The same happens with nations, according to International Law, in some cases they must submit certain decisions to what is established in treaties and conventions, especially if these could affect their population or other countries.
This is especially applicable in the case of human rights and countries like Mexico, with constitutions that establish respect for international treaties and conventions.
Specifically, article 1 of the Political Constitution states, among other things, that "The norms relating to human rights shall be interpreted in accordance with this Constitution and with international treaties."
However, this is when it comes to international demands regarding human rights, because when it comes to other matters, the Mexican people are autonomous to make decisions.
This is based on the fact that “National sovereignty resides essentially and originally in the people. All public power emanates from the people and is instituted for their benefit ”(Art. 39).
Such provision empowers the Mexican State to respond to any international requirement claiming sovereignty, since they would be preserving the sovereignty of the Mexican people according to Article 41, where it is clearly established that "the people exercise their sovereignty through the Powers of the Union."
This reaffirms the sovereignty of the State as the inalienable, exclusive and supreme legal right to exercise power within the area of its power, understanding that this area is the national territory and its maritime platform.
How else do countries preserve their sovereignty?
There are other ways for a country to preserve its sovereignty, for example, with the protection of borders and the defense of maritime areas, as well as the protection of resources found in the national territory, as stated in Article 27 of the Constitution:
In this sense, invoking such sovereign right and considering any action of another country that is detrimental to national interests, Mexico would be able to exercise any mechanism for the preservation of sovereignty.
Such response is conceived under the framework of international law as legitimate defense and is included in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter where it is stated: "No provision of this Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense."
Although this provision is generally exercised in the event of an armed attack and requires compliance with the requirements of immediacy, necessity, and proportionality, there are also international bodies (for example, the Hague Tribunal).
A nation can turn to them when it feels threatened by actions from other nations, and in any case it can take reciprocal actions against international demands that seek to damage its sovereignty.