From Kosovo to Karabakh

International Responses to De Facto States

Bibliographic Data

ID7727644
AuthorsNina Caspersen (0000-0002-4765-287X, Lancaster University, corresponding author)
Year2008
Volume56
Issue1
Pages58-83
Publication date2008-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Southeast European Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2701-8199 • E-ISSN: 2701-8202
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/soeu-2008-560105
OpenAlexW173059961
LanguageEN
Citations received5

Both in the Balkans and in the Caucasus, the dominant international response to de facto states, or quasi-states, has been one of isolation; they violate the principle of territorial integrity, they are often based on warfare, and the legitimacy of their frequently ethnically-based claims to independence is rejected. This article finds that pragmatism has occasionally led to some form of reluctant engagement, but this has been ad hoc and its depoliticised nature has been stressed. De facto states have been viewed solely through the lens of ethnicity and there has been insufficient understanding of internal dynamics. International policies for Kosovo have long impacted on the strategies adopted by other de facto states and recent developments have reignited hopes for recognition. The US and the EU have rejected any talk of a legal precedent, but Kosovos recognition does have important political consequences; it introduces a new dynamism into currently stalled peace processes. This could lead to a hardening of positions, but it could also positively impact on the internal dynamics of the de facto states

De facto · Dynamism · Independence (probability theory · Law and economics · Legitimacy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Sovereignty · State (computer science · Territorial integrity · Cyprus History, Politics, Society · European Politics and Security · Law · Philosophy · Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics

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