Sovereignty has been a useful tool for Third World governments to avert economic catastrophe and maintain an appropriate level of control in the aftermath of European colonialism. The sovereignty regime, however, can be viewed as a very artificial and temporary solution to the problem of integrating news areas of the world into the international system erected following the Treaty of Westphalia. As this regime comes under increasing challenge, the international system on which it is based is giving way to a more fluid and complex reality.
