Should International Recognition be a Requisite of Statehood
Considered a Requisite for Statehood?In determining whether a society or body of people should be considered a state or not, it is necessary to take into consideration certain presupposed criteria. Instantly, thoughts of governments, flags and anthems spring to mind. However, it could be argued that a state may be defined to be composed of less. Herein the argument as to just what exactly constitutes a state is borne and pertinently to what degree it should be considered a state, rather than just say a nation (conceivably within a state). Some contemporary definitions of the state have included recognition as a requisite of statehood, particularly as the United Nations (UN) deems recognition a necessity for membership. In terms of defining a state it would be more accurate though, to establish that recognition is beneficial and by no means crucial to the existence of a state. There are many societies operating to the same capacity as your typical state that are not duly recognised. This situation arises usually on the basis of a triviality, a past dispute or political alignments that could be comprised through another government's recognition of that society as an independent and
A Westphalian definition of sovereignty elicits that all states are equal and no state has the right to interfere in, or determine another's affairs. The PRC [(mainland Chinese government)] refuses to maintain diplomatic relations with any nation that recognises the government in Taipei, and most nations have diplomatic relations with Beijing while maintaining offices in Taipei that are diplomatic in all but name. A definition for what exactly constitutes a state is crucial to the argument of the importance of recognition in the international system of politics and its role in confirming states. A system that relies on other state actors to confirm the presence or the existence of another is more similar to that system used in brotherhoods or fraternities and simply not a useful way of gauging the status of a nation. Recognition in the international system is a flawed concept and should not be seen as the consummative act in the process of statehood. States accord recognition to other entities seeking international legal personality. China was one big country that included the island now known as Taiwan. The term government here can be defined as 'a group of individuals sharing a defined responsibility for exercising power' (Papadimos A, 2000: web). Recognition of a state essentially means acceptance of it as a fully independent and sovereign member of the community of nations. There are certain characteristics of a state that are deemed crucial to its existence and operation. It is your typical state, yet still there are many countries that do not recognise it because of pressure from China under the precept that Taiwan is a part of China and therefore not able to be recognised. Even if the government in recognition was owed legitimate rule in the eyes of the confirming state, this is still not practical in terms of identifying what constitutes a state, particularly in the case of the Conga, for it clearly was not a functioning state beyond the fact it had defined territory. Obviously the benefits of belonging to the EU outweigh the disadvantages of participation or else the EU would have collapsed by now, for it must be recognised that although a member of this supranational body, the state still remains the ultimate sovereign of its people and territory and therefore is able to withdraw at any time. How can this be useful in analysing international relations? Recognition does not confirm statehood and was not conceived for that purpose, but rather was instituted as a way for larger powers to remind others of their importance.
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Acceptance Essays
