Which statement best describes sovereignty and territorial integrity?

• A. Sovereignty is the right to defend borders; Territorial integrity is the supreme authority within borders.
• B. Sovereignty is the supreme authority within borders; Territorial integrity is the right to defend and preserve borders from external aggression.
• C. They are unrelated concepts.
• D. Territorial integrity equals sovereignty.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how sovereignty and territorial integrity describe a state’s authority inside its borders and the protection of its borders under international law. Sovereignty means the state has the final say over governance within its territory—the supreme authority to create laws, organize government, and conduct foreign relations. Territorial integrity is the principle that the state’s borders should be maintained and protected from external interference or conquest.

The statement that sovereignty is the supreme authority within borders and territorial integrity is the right way to describe their relationship. It captures that sovereignty concerns internal authority, while territorial integrity focuses on defending and preserving borders from external threats.

Other options blur or invert these ideas or treat the concepts as unrelated or identical. For example, defining sovereignty as defending borders mixes up internal authority with external defense, and treating territorial integrity as the same as sovereignty ignores that sovereignty encompasses more than just border protection.