1st Edition
A Theory of De Facto States Classical Realism and Exceptional Polities
A Theory of De Facto States offers a new perspective on the phenomenon of de facto states — political communities that manifest forms of statehood in international politics but lack international legal recognition — zooming in on two prominent examples, Somaliland and Kosovo.
Employing a thorough understanding of classical realist theories of international relations, this book provides a fresh critique of the common ways in which existing research tends to identify the ostensible state features of these communities. In contrast to the prevalent portrayals of such features in terms of international legal, discursive, and/or everyday logics, this book argues that de facto states can be most fundamentally characterised as exceptional polities in international relations.
Showcasing how the statehood and sovereignty of de facto states is based in international political crises, this book concludes that these entities function as recurring disruptions of any supposed international political order. A Theory of De Facto States will therefore be of interest to researchers of secession, de facto statehood, and International Relations theory alike.
Introduction: De Facto States as Exceptional Polities in International Relations
On De Facto States
De Facto States as Exceptional Polities
Classical Realism and De Facto Statehood
‘Knowing’ De Facto States?
References
1. Law, Discourse, Limbo: De Facto Statehood and Regularity
De Facto States and International Law
De Facto States and International Relations Discourse
De Facto States ‘Stuck in Limbo’
Conclusion
References
2. Classical Realism: De Facto Statehood and Exceptionality
In Defence of Classical Realism
Classical Realist De Facto Sovereignty
The Exceptionality of De Facto States
References
3. Somaliland: De Facto Sovereignty in an Exceptional Polity
De Facto Statehood vs. De Jure Recognition
Hybridity, Decentralisation, and De Facto Statehood
State Crises
State Ideals
Somaliland as an Exceptional Polity
References
4. The Democratic League of Kosovo: De Facto Sovereignty in a Parallel State?
The Democratic League of Kosovo and its ‘Parallel State’
The Parallel State ‘in Limbo’
De Facto Sovereignty and the Parallel State
Conclusion
References
5. Kosovo’s Future: De Jure Sovereignty or Exceptional Polity?
Kosovo’s Exceptional Foundations
Kosovo’s De Facto Statehood and International Law
Kosovo’s Exceptional Maintenance
Ever a De Facto State?
References
Conclusion: Borges’s World Map
An Epistemological ‘Double Move’
An Ontological ‘Triple Move’
Are De Facto States ‘States’?
References
Biography
Lucas Knotter is Lecturer at the University of Bath, UK. He is an Associate Editor for 9DASHLINE. He specialises in themes of secession, state creation, and theories of international politics and security.
