Its meanings and significance are the subject of much rhetorical and symbolic warfare.
Sovereignty possesses both external and internal dimensions.
Externally a sovereign state is formally recognized by others as possessing full authority over a given territory and its population. Within a state, internal sovereignty is possessed by that person, organization or body of people who have ultimate authority. Four major debates surround sovereignty. The first is whether it is divisible. Some maintain that it is indivisible, pointing that the concept originated in the claims made on behalf of jurists who favoured absolutist monarchs having a monopoly on legislation.