 The criteria for determining the existence of statehood are well-established in customary international law (Crawford 1979 [2006: 38]). They are: a defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government, the capacity to enter into relations with other States, and independence. Each of these criteria is related to an equally fundamental aspect of international law and inter-state relations: sovereignty. The relationship between sovereignty and statehood is crucial in both legal philosophy and international legal practice. Although some consider sovereignty to be coextensive with independence, James Crawford’s seminal work on statehood maintains that whereas independence is a prerequisite for statehood, sovereignty “has another more satisfactory meaning as an incident or consequence of statehood” (Crawford 1979 [2006: 89]). This section will explore the various aspects of this “more satisfactory meaning.”