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The concept of national sovereignty has been an immutable, indeed sacred, principle of international relations. It is a principle which will yield only slowly and reluctantly to the new imperatives of global environmental cooperation. It is simply not feasible for sovereignty to be exercised unilaterally by individual nation states, however powerful. The global community must be assured of environmental security.
Maurice Strong
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Interpretation

What this quote means

National sovereignty is a key principle in international relations, but it must adapt to global environmental needs.

This quote highlights the tension between the traditional notion of national sovereignty and the emerging necessity for global cooperation on environmental issues. Maurice Strong argues that while sovereignty has traditionally been viewed as an absolute right of individual nations, the pressing challenges of environmental security demand a collective approach that transcends unilateral actions by powerful states. The idea is that true security can only be achieved when nations work together to tackle global environmental crises.

Themes

SovereigntyEnvironmentCooperationGlobalSecurity

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech on climate policy, one might reference this quote to emphasize the need for collective action.

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