The principle of sovereignty, that is of supreme authority within a territory, is a pivotal principle of modern international law and political science. In contemporary times its definition, application and respect have been changing across historical and political contexts and has also been heavily contested at any given time and space. This work looks at its various conceptions, a critical explanation of its political and international relations and an analysis of its current regime under international relations; and, on the other, a discussion of its contentious relationship to human rights and democracy and an assessment of some of the specific difficulties it raises for international relations particularly that of the United States and Russia. It concluded that the modern principle of sovereign equality itself needs to be revisited in light of a complex approach to political equality and the heterogeneity of the subjects thereof.<br>