Unrecognized republics scattered around the world. Most often, they are formed where the political and economic interests of modern powers, dictating either world politics or regional politics, come into contact. Thus, the countries of the West, Russia and China, which is gaining weight today, are the main actors in this political game, on which it depends whether the newly created republic will be recognized or remain "persona non grata" in the eyes of most countries of the world.
Term Definition
What are unrecognized republics? This term means state entities that independently announced their secession from another state and declared their independence. The difficulty arises in the fact that these newly appeared republics are not recognized in terms ofdiplomacy, i.e. most countries of the world do not take them for independent states, but simply consider them part of some other countries. However, from a political point of view, they have all the hallmarks of independent republics.
Characteristics of independent states
Sovereign states must have at least five basic characteristics:
- name (officially enshrined in the regulations and laws of the self-proclaimed republic);
- state symbols (coat of arms, flag, anthem, sometimes even the Constitution);
- population;
- government bodies, with all three branches of government - legislative, executive, judicial (often they are concentrated in the same hands);
- army.
State recognition process
The international legal basis for relations between the unrecognized states between themselves and the world community is laid spontaneously. In this connection, at the suggestion of experts, the process of "recognition" of the republics should be considered in a three-tier formula: de facto, de jure, diplomatic recognition. Most often, these are not just links, but the steps that the newly created states go through.
The first step - de facto - means that a particular country has declared its independence and meets all the characteristics of a state in international law.
The second step is de jure. In this regard, recognized powers may have bilateral relations with various states, while the other side may be unrecognized republics. This phenomenon is familiar to Russia and other countries of the world. For example, in the 20th century, the United States legalized relations with Taiwan unilaterally by issuing a special law.
The third step is the conclusion of official interstate relations through consulates and embassies. This is the highest degree of international recognition of established states.
History
On the political map of the world, there have long been states that are not recognized by all countries of the world (in terms of diplomacy), but at the same time have all the signs of independence. An example of one of the first unrecognized states of modern diplomacy is Manchukuo, created by Japan in 1932 on the territory of China.
After the end of the Second World War, republics began to appear in all corners of the planet, unrecognized or partially recognized by the world community. These included the former colonial possessions of the mother countries, located mainly in Africa and Asia.
The largest quantitative growth of unrecognized states began in the 90s of the XX century. From now on, they can be called "unrecognized", "de facto countries", "secession", "self-proclaimed", etc.
Methods of occurrence
Unrecognized republics of the world have a different history. But their formation, as a rule, follows similar scenarios. Thus, if we study the world political practice, we can name five main scenarios for the development of events:
1. ATthe result of revolutions. The most striking example is the formation of republics after the October Revolution on the territory of the former Russian Empire.
2. As a result of the national liberation struggle. This includes self-proclaimed unrecognized republics that declared their independence as a result of declarations, laws or interstate agreements. Such self-proclaimed states include the United States, the countries of the former USSR, and others.
3. As a result of the post-war division. For example, after the Second World War, the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany were formed on the territory of Germany. As a result of the civil war, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea were formed on the Korean Peninsula. The peculiarity in this case is that initially two or more established states do not recognize each other's independence.
4. As a result of the independence of the former colonial possessions of the mother countries. A striking example is the former colonies of the British Empire.
5. As a result of geopolitical games of recognized states. These are the so-called buffer zones or "puppet states" - the Far Eastern Republic, the Independent State of Croatia, etc.
Typology
All unrecognized republics can be divided into types according to certain criteria. The determining factor in this case is the nature of control over the territory. As a result, we have 4 types of state entities:
1. Unrecognized states that have full control over their territory. These include Northern Cyprus andTransnistria.
2. States that partially control part of their territory, which are unrecognized - Tamil Eelam, South Ossetia, etc.
3. States formed under the protection of the international community. For example, Kosovo, legally considered part of Serbia, but actually administered by the UN since 1999.
4. Quasi-states are ethnic groups that have not received the right to self-determination. One of the most prominent in modern world politics are the Kurds with self-proclaimed Kurdistan, located on the territory of four states: Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran.
De facto and de jure
The entire list of unrecognized republics can be conditionally divided into 2 large categories - "de facto" and "de jure".
De facto recognition is incomplete and expresses uncertainty about the longevity and viability of the government of such a country. In this case, consular relations may arise, but they will not be mandatory.
De jure recognition is final and is characterized by the establishment of equal international relations with all countries that are members of the UN. As a rule, it is accompanied by official statements and agreements.
It should be noted that at present there is no full range of characteristics in international law according to which a newly created state will be such a de facto or de jure state. In world diplomacy, there are only separate rules for recognizing states.
Roleunrecognized states in international relations
Modern unrecognized republics not only have a place in the documentation of the founders themselves, but also maintain certain relationships with recognized states or other unrecognized entities.
In this regard, you need to understand that at the highest diplomatic level, some countries may be unrecognized, but at the same time, their governments may cooperate with other states. Economic trade relations may also develop. An important point is cooperation in the field of education.
Absolutely all these interstate relations are based on certain legal acts, orders, decrees and agreements.
Unrecognized republics of the world
The list of unrecognized states is quite large, it has more than 100 items. These republics are located in 60 countries of the world. The list includes partially recognized, unrecognized and partially unrecognized states.
The first are those whose independence is recognized by only a few powers. For example, Abkhazia, recognized by only six countries, or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which was recognized only by Turkey and Abkhazia.
The second group includes self-proclaimed countries that are not recognized by any state - Somaliland, Puntland, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and others.
A partially unrecognized state can be called one whose independence is recognized by most of the UN member states, but other countries do not agree to suchstep. For example, Armenia is not recognized by just one state - Pakistan, Cyprus - by Turkey, and the Republic of Korea - by North Korea.
The unrecognized republics of the CIS, or rather, those located on the territory of the Commonwe alth countries, continue to fight for their recognition, starting from the collapse of the USSR. Abkhazia can be cited as an example. After Georgia announced its secession from the Soviet Union, it participated in a referendum on joining the SSG (Commonwe alth of Sovereign States), the formation of which was thwarted by the State Emergency Committee in August 1991, but to this day Abkhazia is a partially recognized state. In addition to it, you can also name the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
How many unrecognized republics are there in the world? Over a hundred! Whether there will be fewer of them in the near future is a very difficult question. Most probably not. Today, the problem of unrecognized states is one of the most acute, and disputes over the recognition and non-recognition of individual entities do not stop for a day. The fact is that after the USSR was defeated during the Cold War, the West considered that only it had the right to act as a justice of the peace, including in relation to the recognition of states as such. However, modern economic and political realities show that the West is no longer a hegemon in resolving this issue, which is why the fact that Crimea became part of the Russian Federation, the announcement of the self-proclamation of the DPR and LPR was so sharply received in the Old World, and especially in the USA.
