ABSTRACT
The rise of positivism in the 18th century placed the state as the basic political unit at the centre of international diplomacy. The Law of Nations comprised those rules governing relations between states and the rulers of those states. From the outset the state has been at the centre of international society.10 Even today only the state may seek membership of the United Nations or participate in litigation before the International Court. Only the state commands the permanently organised armed forces and it is normally only the state that can mobilise the large resources needed to relieve suffering and afford humanitarian relief. One of the consequences of the increase in the number of states has been the great differences in military and economic power between the wealthiest and the less fortunate. These considerations make it important to review the circumstances under which an entity might be viewed as a state.
