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Statebuilding and the Politics of Non-Recognition

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Recognition in International Relations

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in International Relations Series ((PSIR))

Abstract

Recognition of sovereign statehood is the final obstacle facing those political entities in the international system that want to be states. For unrecognized states — those political entities existent within the international system that are states in everything but legal standing — recognition of sovereign statehood is the ultimate goal. The very act of granting recognition imparts a drastic change in the juridical legality and placement of the political entity under question, even though empirical change is unlikely in what are already developed political systems. Vague and inconsistent legal and quantifiable standards and precedents surround how much recognition, and by whom, equates to the granting of sovereignty. Still, those entities aspiring to statehood continue to hold it up as the goal to be reached. For most, it is the Holy Grail, a mythical achievement that will exist only as an aspiration. Regardless, the quest for recognition, and existence within the space of non-recognition, carries powerful political agency within these unrecognized states.

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Authors
  1. Rebecca Richards
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  2. Robert Smith
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Goethe University Frankfurt and Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany

    Christopher Daase (Professor of International Organizations) (Professor of International Organizations)

  2. Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany

    Caroline Fehl (Senior Researcher) (Senior Researcher)

  3. University of Magdeburg, Germany

    Anna Geis (Professor of International Relations) (Professor of International Relations)

  4. Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

    Georgios Kolliarakis (Senior Researcher) (Senior Researcher)

Copyright information

© 2015 Rebecca Richards and Robert Smith

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Richards, R., Smith, R. (2015). Statebuilding and the Politics of Non-Recognition. In: Daase, C., Fehl, C., Geis, A., Kolliarakis, G. (eds) Recognition in International Relations. Palgrave Studies in International Relations Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137464729_9

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