Declarative theory describes sovereignty as being reached once these four qualifications are met: (a) supreme authority to govern – free from external interference; (b) a defined territory with sufficient control over a claimed area – in the case of a new state emerging from civil war, the rebel group claiming sovereignty will need to show a degree of control over a sufficiently defined area to claim independent statehood; (c) a permanent population; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with other states as only if an entity satisfies the element of sovereignty can it possess the legal capacity to act as a state in the international community. As there is no prerequisite of state recognition, an unrecognized entity may become a state as soon as it meets the minimal criteria for statehood. There are currently 208 sovereign states that have met this criterion (e.g. united nations 195 + associated states 2 + partially recognized 6 + unrecognized states 5).