The Treachery of Images in the Digital Sovereignty Debate

TL;DR

This essay critically examines the concept of digital sovereignty in the EU by analyzing classical notions of state capacity and sovereignty, highlighting paradoxes and proposing a broader understanding relevant to digital politics and democracy.

Contribution

It offers a novel perspective by linking classical sovereignty concepts to digital sovereignty, emphasizing governance capacity over territorial notions.

Findings

Paradoxes arise when applying traditional sovereignty to digital space

State capacity is central to digital sovereignty and individual rights

Broader implications for politics and democracy in the digital era

Abstract

This short theoretical and argumentative essay contributes to the ongoing deliberation about the so-called digital sovereignty, as pursued particularly in the European Union (EU). Drawing from classical political science literature, the essay approaches the debate through paradoxes that arise from applying classical notions of sovereignty to the digital domain. With these paradoxes and a focus on the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the essay develops a viewpoint distinct from the conventional territorial notion of sovereignty. Accordingly, the lesson from Westphalia has more to do with the capacity of a state to govern. It is also this capacity that is argued to enable the sovereignty of individuals within the digital realm. With this viewpoint, the essay further advances another, broader, and more pressing debate on politics and democracy in the digital era.