SECESSION, RECOGNITION, AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: THE CASES OF KOSOVO, SOUTH SUDAN, AND SOMALILAND

Abstract

A major open topic in international law is whether or not a group can legitimately secede from an existing state and be acknowledged as a sovereign entity. Although some areas have been able to declare independence, others are still in a precarious diplomatic and legal position. Understanding how the international legal system handles secession and recognition is the purpose of this study, which explores three such cases: Kosovo, South Sudan, and Somaliland. There is a clear trajectory in each of these cases: one leads to a unilateral proclamation, another to negotiations, and the third to long-standing self-governance without international recognition. “This paper uses these cases to investigate the practical application or neglect of concepts like statehood, territorial integrity, and self-determination. Inconsistencies characterize the worldwide reaction to secessionist attempts, and this study shows how recognition is based more on political backing than on legal standards.