Introduction

The state is a body of government. All the rules and laws, the government officials and their
titles, the physical boundaries and those who define them - these make up the state. The state is
what makes a country run from a political, practical standpoint.

Characteristics of an effective state

Population

The size of a population has nothing to do with existence of a state; may be homogeneous or
heterogeneous. In Uganda the population is approximately 38 million people.

Territory

Must have known and recognized boundaries. Uganda is bordered by South Sudan in the north,
Democratic republic of Congo in the West, Kenya in the East and Tanzania and Rwanda in the
south.

Sovereignty

Decides its own foreign and domestic policies; neither subordinate nor responsible to any other
authority; sovereignty distinguishes the state from all other, lesser political units; for example
states within the US are NOT sovereign; location of sovereignty is crucial. Uganda is sovereign
state because it runs the affairs of its people. It is not like the states of the US whose affaires are
run by the government in Washington DC.

Government

Every state has a government; consists of the machinery and personal by which the state is ruled;
has power to rule. In Uganda, the government is run under the leadership of President Y.K.
Museveni.

Military

The other characteristic of a State is that the military is the highest authority. In a State the
military not only guarantees the security of the state against all internal and external enemies, it

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has enough power to determine the overall direction of the society. In a State the military exerts
important influence over political, economic, as well as military affairs.

Political democracy

Another defining feature of a State is that political democracy and democratic elections are
viewed with suspicion, contempt, or in terms of political expediency. States often maintain an
appearance of democracy. However, ultimate power rests with the military or within a broader
National Security Establishment

Conclusion

According to scholars of International Relations, there are two major characteristics of a state.
First, a state has clear borders. It is an entity that exists in a given geographical space. Second,
and more importantly, the state is sovereign in that area. Within that geographical space the state
(and this implies that the state is synonymous with the government) can do whatever it wants.
The state has no legal responsibility to any higher authority unless it voluntarily enters into
treaties creating such obligations. The state is the only entity with the legal right to commit
violence within its boundaries.

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References:

Barclay, Harold (1990). People Without Government: An Anthropology of Anarchy. Left Bank
Books. p. 31.

Painter, Joe; Jeffrey, Alex (2009). Political Geography (2nd ed.). London: SAGE Publications
Ltd. p. 21.