The citizen as ultimate sovereign permits the creation and amendment of law and all the activity that law facilitates. The citizen grants authority to organizations, states, and institutions to perform tasks on behalf of the group.
The only title in our democracy superior to that of President is that of citizen. — Louis D. Brandeis
The right to have rights. Basic human rights make existing and future cooperation possible. To deny this would be "cruel and unusual punishment" according to former Chief Justice Earl Warren of the United States Supreme Court.
The right to have laws. This right provides authoritative answers on who decides the questions of politics: who determines the goals, who makes the rules, who evaluates performance. Perhaps the most striking illustration of the changing relation of citizens to sovereigns took place in the U.N. Security Council in January 1992, where heads of state voted 13-2-0 affirming that the international community may override state sovereignty to remedy a state's mistreatment of its own citizens.
The right to participate in political life. This means both more and less than democracy. It means that the citizen participates in whatever political processes he or she believes will affect his or her life in important ways.
The duty of self-reliance. A citizen should take the initiative to exercise power and liberty. Such self-reliant integration of individual purpose into group goals is a political act requiring both will and reason.
The duty to participate. This means being aware that acts of omission as well as commission as a citizen have consequences.
The duty to respect the rights of fellow citizens. Reciprocity — respect for others' civil, political, and social rights — is a clear pragmatic test of citizenship. A chain of citizenship originates logically and historically with the individual, but it leads outward to all other individuals and groups. By joining rights, responsibilities, and belonging in a single citizenship idea means that rights become promises defined and legitimated globally. Strengthening broad based citizenship, and reducing localized identity politics, can strengthen both state and local cohesion.
Positive politics may take longer — but we achieve more and have more fun doing it.