The act of state doctrine states that every state is bound to respect the independence of every other sovereign state. Countries cannot weigh in on or sit judgement for other countries for how they manage their own people. The Act of State Doctrine enters consideration when another country has taken away ownership of property from a US national located in the other country. US nationals take their claims against the foreign country to the US government in hopes of seeking recourse through diplomatic channels (instead of the foreign court system).