The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a source of endless fascination for those interested in statehood. As the name suggests, it claims sovereignty. It also has international personality. It even has diplomatic relations with over 110 countries. This has led many to think of it as a state or a country - albeit an unusual one without territory. But is this accurate? In this video, I explore the Order and set out how we can really best understand it.

Welcome to Independent Thinking. A channel dedicated to international relations, independence disputes, secession and the origins of countries.

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta - officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta - is one of the strangest bodies in international relations. Founded in 1048, it is acknowledged to be one of the oldest institutions in the world. Better known today for its charitable works, the Order is also famous because of its rather unusual characteristics, including its observer status at the United Nations. This has led many to think of it as state. As I show, this is incorrect. It isn't a country, and can't be one. However, there is another way of looking at it that makes far more sense - especially as international law has evolved over the past seventy years. As this video shows, for all its quirks and its historically unique position, the Order is in fact becoming less out of the ordinary and far more normal as time passes.

I hope you found this video useful. If you did, please do press the 'Like' button. And don't forget to subscribe and press the notification bell if you would like to be alerted to my future videos. Also, if you have any suggestions for topics that you would like to see me cover, please leave a comment below. Thank you.

SHARE THIS VIDEO    • What is the Sovereign Military Order ...  
CHANNEL LINK http://www.youtube.com/c/JamesKerLind...

RELATED VIDEOS
What is a Country?    • What is a country? | The 4 criteria t...  
What is Recognition?    • How and Why do Countries Recognise Ea...  

=======================================
FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES

Order of Malta http://www.orderofmalta.int
The Sovereign Order of Malta in International Law https://doi.org/10.1093/iclqaj/3.2.217
The Continuing Question of Sovereignty and the Sovereign Military Order of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPag...
The Acquisition of Sovereignty by Quasi-States: The Case of the Order of Malta https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.c...
The International Legal Status of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta https://doi.org/10.1163/187197312X617674
The Country above the Hermes Boutique: The International Status of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPag...
The Creation of States in International Law https://amzn.to/2Fc5ouO
Satow's Diplomatic Practice https://amzn.to/2sF1Kak


=======================================
MY BOOKS

Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know https://amzn.to/2MPY3W2 [PRE-ORDER]
The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know https://amzn.to/2FaaBU2
Kosovo: The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans https://amzn.to/35jiBN2
The Foreign Policy of Counter-Secession https://amzn.to/2Qinm5t
My other books https://amzn.to/2MlP13u

=======================================
MY PROFILES & SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Twitter   / jameskerlindsay  
LinkedIn   / james-ker-lindsay-b31b9930  
Academia.edu https://lse.academia.edu/JamesKerLindsay
Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...

=======================================
EQUIPMENT& TOOL USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO

Camera: Canon M50 https://amzn.to/35Hqc9y
Microphone: Boya BY-M1 https://amzn.to/2VNO7Q4
Key Light: StudioPRO 1050W Softbox https://amzn.to/2okZAKW
Fill Light: Viltrox L116T https://amzn.to/2Mia86y
Teleprompter: Parrot 2 https://amzn.to/2VLcRsm
Tripod: Geekoto 79" Carbon Fibre https://amzn.to/2wWMNT1
Channel Analytics: TubeBuddy https://www.tubebuddy.com/JKL

=======================================
KEYWORDS

#OrderofMalta #SovereignOrderofMalta #InternationalRelations
#Statehood #Independence
#InternationalLaw #InternationalHistory
#KnightsofMalta #Vatican #Malta #Rhodes

Image Credit
@le:Palazzo_di_Malta_(Roma).jpg
Willtron / CC BY-SA (@s/by-sa/3.0)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links above are affiliate links. These pay a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps to support the channel and will be at no additional cost to you.