How do you say "state?"

Question

How do you say "state" as in, "the state the central unit in the international order" or "a violation of state sovereignty" or "the Zapatistas' relationship to the Mexican state"?

"state" as in the central authority, the government, the 'westphalian state system', etc.

oops, I meant, "the state IS the central unit..." :) - JoanneEsch, Jun 7, 2010

Answer 1

You did a lot of explaining when all you needed to do was type "state" into the translation box above. Does that mean I am missing something?

State = Estado (m), El estado.

Answer 2

So people don't explain enough, or explain too much, or misspell and it's not ok but other times it's ok...phew. Hard to keep up. Joanne this link will give you different translations for different "situations": link text