Unrecognized republics are scattered around the world. Most often, they are formed where political and economic interests of modern powers come into contact, dictating either world politics or regional politics. Thus, the Western countries, Russia and China, gaining weight today, are the main actors in this political game, on which it depends whether the newly created republic will be recognized or will remain "persona non grata" in the eyes of most countries of the world.
Definition of the term
What are unrecognized republics? This term means state entities that independently announced their secession from another state and proclaimed their independence. The difficulty arises in the fact that these newly-minted republics are not recognized from the point of view of diplomacy, that is, most countries of the world do not accept them as independent states, but consider them simply to be part of some other countries. However, from a political point of view, they possess all the hallmarks of independent republics.
Characteristics of Independent States
Sovereign states must have at least five basic characteristics:
- name (officially enshrined in the regulatory legal acts and laws of the self-proclaimed republic);
- state symbols (coat of arms, flag, anthem, sometimes even the Constitution);
- population;
- government bodies, and all three branches of government - legislative, executive, judicial (often they are concentrated in one hand);
- army.
State Recognition Process
The international legal basis for relations between 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 steps taken by newly created states.
The first step - de facto - means that a particular country has declared its independence and meets all the characteristics of the state in international law.
The second step is de jure. In this regard, recognized powers may have bilateral relations with various states, while the second 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 the created states.
Story
States have long existed on the political map of the world that are not recognized by all countries of the world (from the point of view 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 can be called Manzhou-Guo, created by Japan in 1932 in China.
After the end of World War II, republics that are unrecognized or partially recognized by the world community begin to emerge in all corners of the planet . These included the former colonial possessions of the metropolises, 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", "separated", "self-proclaimed", etc.
Ways of occurrence
Unrecognized republics of the world have a different history. But their education, as a rule, follows similar scenarios. Thus, if we study world political practice, we can name five main options for the development of events:
1. As a result of revolutions. The most striking example is the formation of the republics after the October revolution in the territory of the former Russian Empire.
2. As a result of the national liberation struggle. These include self-proclaimed unrecognized republics that have declared their independence as a result of declarations, laws or interstate treaties. Such self-proclaimed states include the USA, countries of the former USSR , etc.
3. As a result of post-war division. For example, after the Second World War, German Democratic Republics and the Federal Republic of Germany were formed in Germany. As a result of the civil war, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea were formed on the Korean Peninsula. A feature in this case is that initially two or more created states do not recognize each other's independence.
4. As a result of the independence of the former colonial possessions of the metropolises. A vivid 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. Determining in this case is the nature of control over the territory. As a result, we have 4 types of public entities:
1. Unrecognized states that have full control over their territory. These include Northern Cyprus and Transnistria.
2. The states that partially control part of their territory and are unrecognized - Tamil Ilam, South Ossetia, etc.
3. States formed under the protectorate of the international community. For example, Kosovo, legally considered part of Serbia, but really managed by the UN since 1999.
4. Quasi-states - ethnic groups that have not received the right to self-determination. One of the most notable in modern world politics is the Kurds with the 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 conditionally be divided into 2 large categories - “de facto” and “de jure”.
The de facto recognition is incomplete and expresses uncertainty about the longevity and viability of such a government. This may result in consular relations, but they will not be binding.
De jure recognition is final and is characterized by the establishment of equal international relations with all countries that are members of the UN. It is usually accompanied by official statements and agreements.
It should be noted that currently in international law there is no full range of characteristics according to which a newly created state will be such de facto or de jure. In world diplomacy, there are only certain rules for the recognition of states.
The role of unrecognized states in international relations
Modern unrecognized republics not only have a place to be in the documentation of the founders themselves, but also maintain certain relationships with recognized states or other unrecognized entities.
In this regard, one must understand that at the highest diplomatic level, some countries may be unrecognized, but at the same time, their governments can cooperate with other states. Economic trade relationships may also develop. An important point is cooperation in the field of education.
Absolutely all these interstate relations are based on certain regulatory 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 former include 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 only Turkey and Abkhazia recognized.
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 take such a step. For example, Armenia is not recognized by only one state - Pakistan, Cyprus - Turkey, and the Republic of Korea - DPRK.
Unrecognized republics of the CIS, or rather located on the territory of the countries of the Commonwealth, continue to fight for their recognition, starting with the collapse of the USSR. An example is Abkhazia. After Georgia announced its secession from the Soviet Union, it participated in a referendum on joining the GCC (Commonwealth of Sovereign States), the formation of which was disrupted by the State Emergency Committee in August 1991, but to this day Abkhazia is a partially recognized state. In addition to it, one can also name the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
How many unrecognized republics are there in the world? More than 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 single day. The fact is that after the USSR was defeated during the Cold War, the West considered that only he had the right to act as a justice of the peace, including with regard to the recognition of states as such. However, modern economic and political realities show that the West is no longer the hegemon in resolving this issue, therefore, the fact of the Crimea joining the Russian Federation, the announcement of the self-declaration of the DPR and LPR are so sharply met in the Old World, and especially in the USA.