The power of a country is down to it’s military, economy and diplomatic influence. The United States for example is (was?1) powerful because of it’s strength in all three. A country like the UK has economic and military power, but in the long-term it’s relative position in these areas is waning due to it’s size and the growth of previous underdeveloped economies.
The power of a country then contributes to how sovereign it can act on a global scale. Although most countries are ‘independent’ they have less power over what they do then their citizens may believe. Other countries can have large influences through direct economic (i.e. tarrifs and trade pact) or military control or via third party control (diplomatic relations), decreasing the ability of these countries to self-govern.
UK
At one point it had a large global influence (superpower status), and had much power over what direction it (and the world) headed. As this status faded as a consequence of the deterioration of the empire, its own ability to exercise it’s will on a global and local scale also decreases. It is now more beholden to the choices of foreign powers, whether this be via tariffs, making policy decisions to gain favourable trade, or many other ways in which it sacrifices its decision making for ‘progress’.
In many cases collective power allows stronger decisions making, and therefore it may make sense to form military or economic pacts with other like-minded nations, and use this combined power to collectively bargain and increase sovereignty. While to individual nations (and the citizens) this may seem like a sacrifice of sovereignty, if properly implemented (with good devolution), it could actually provide these nations with more effective sovereignty.
Interesting Background
Draghi, Mario. ‘The Future of European Competitiveness - Part A’. European Union, September 2024. https://commission.europa.eu/document/97e481fd-2dc3-412d-be4c-f152a8232961_en.
Okoli, Al Chukwuma, and Atelhe George Atelhe. ‘AFRICA AND THE “GLOBALIZATION BARGAIN”: TOWARDS A COLLECTIVE ECONOMIC SOVEREIGNTY’. AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations 10, no. 19 (2021). https://doi.org/10.22456/2238-6912.113344.
Footnotes
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Perhaps ‘Project 2025’ changed this. ↩