Sovereignty, Power, and Territory

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In this episode of the Network Nations mini-series, host Primavera De Filippi speak with Morshed Mannan (European University Institute) and Neil Walker (author of Sovereignty in Transition) to explore one of the most challenging ideas in political theory today: Functional Sovereignty.

They discuss whether sovereignty can be unbundled into separate functions like identity, finance, and dispute resolution — and what it means when digital communities begin exercising these powers without controlling land. Together they examine historical precedents, overlapping authorities, private platform power (Amazon, Meta), self-determination, legitimacy, polycentric governance, and how decentralized infrastructure may enable network nations to achieve real autonomy.

A foundational conversation for understanding how communities can self-govern in the networked age.

🌱 greenpill.network 🌐 networknations.network 🐦 @owocki @greenpillnet https://x.com/MannanMorshed

Timestamps

00:00 – Cold open: "Functional sovereignty is an oxymoron. 01:34 – What is functional sovereignty? 02:18 – Introducing guests: Morchette Mannan & Neil Walker 03:48 – Traditional sovereignty vs non-territorial sovereignty 06:14 – How communities govern identity, finance & dispute systems 07:20 – Unbundling sovereignty into multiple functions 08:25 – Historical evolution of sovereignty (dynastic → modern state) 10:50 – Early cracks: EU autonomy without exclusivity 13:09 – Examples of functional sovereignty (EU, monetary union, etc.) 16:42 – Guild socialism & industrial self-governance 18:20 – Decentralized constitutionalism in Yugoslavia 19:08 – Citizens as the sovereign, not territory 20:44 – Are Big Tech platforms (Amazon/Facebook) functional sovereigns? 23:24 – Digital proximity & affinity in network communities 25:29 – Declarative vs constitutive sovereignty 27:18 – Corporate sovereignty vs democratic sovereignty 29:33 – Power vs authority: who is the real sovereign? 31:58 – Sovereignty as a discursive claim 33:48 – Why Network Nations seek functional, not declarative, sovereignty 35:50 – Self-determination vs sovereignty 37:00 – The paradox of self-constitution 39:24 – How multiple sovereigns overlap (polycentricity) 41:34 – Managing conflict in overlapping jurisdictions 43:15 – Constitutions and polycentric coordination 45:21 – Who decides who decides? 47:42 – Multi-level governance & territorial scaffolding 49:36 – Functional domains: art, science, data, digital systems 51:38 – How functional sovereignty works in practice 53:22 – Cooperatives as real examples of mutual self-governance 55:43 – Cross-border recognition & legal frameworks 58:05 – What law can and cannot do in digital governance 01:00:06 – Why Network Nations require hybrid (digital + physical) presence 01:02:29 – Decentralized infrastructure as sovereign infrastructure 01:04:08 – Can network nations coexist peacefully with states? 01:06:20 – States' anxiety about digital communities 01:08:42 – Politics, culture & technological migration 01:10:00 – Closing