What is a state?

Some people see a state as an ancient national institution, the way Greece and Rome were theorised by Plato, Aristotle and other classical philosophers. Others insist on the unique features of the modern state, with its extensive rule of law, citizenship rights; and broad economic and social responsibilities. What is claer, is that a state is more than a government, since governments change, but states endure. A state is the means of rule over a defined or "sovereign" territory. It is comprised of an executive, a bureaucracy, courts and other institutions. But, above all, a state levies taxes; and operates a military and police force. States distribute and re-distribute resources and wealth, so lobbyists, politicians and revolutionaries seek in their own way to influence or even to get hold of the levers of state power.

States exist in a variety of sizes, ranging from enormous China to tiny Andorra. Some claim a long lineage, while others are modern constructions. States are in flux. They expand and contract as military and political fortunes change. Some, like Poland, even disappear from sight and then re-appear on the map. Or they may be divided up (sometimes peacefully) by communities that prefer to go their separate ways (Czechoslovakia). Others, such as Iraq, may be occupied; or run as a colony or protectorate. States can also "fail" when their governing institutions collapse due to civil war and internal strife (as in Somalia) or because the state has little authority outside the capital city (Afghanistan). While globalisation and regional integration (like the European Union) challenge the state's powers, the state is still the dominant arena of domestic politics, as well as the primary actor in international relations.

Some states occupy a unique status in the international community, due to a very small population or very small land area, but usually both. Microstates, or small states and territories (SSTs) are nevertheless sovereign states and they therefore enjoy a disproportionately large influence in the United Nations General Assembly thanks to the one state, one vote rule. Sealand, Freedom Ship and Cyber Yugoslavia are among the hundreds of experimental states that people have founded in order to avoid taxation, feel independent or to create a tourist attraction.

[based on an article in www.globalpolicy.org/]