Document Type
Article
Date
8-2014
Keywords
Unrecognized States, Conflict, Sanctions
Language
English
Disciplines
Comparative Politics | Economic Theory | International Economics | International Relations | Political Economy
Description/Abstract
Unrecognized states are characterized by stagnant or crumbling economies and political instability, often serve as havens for illicit trade, and challenge the territorial sovereignty of recognized states. Their persistence is both intellectually puzzling and normatively problematic, but unrecognized statehood can be a remarkably stable outcome, persisting for decades. Our four-player model reveals that unrecognized statehood emerges as an equilibrium outcome when a patron state is willing and able to persistently invest resources to sustain it. We assess options available to actors in the international community who seek to impose their preferred outcomes in these disputes and find that, although sanctions are the most frequently employed, they can often lead to renewed conflict instead of the intended resolution.
Recommended Citation
Buzard, Kristina; Graham, Benjamin A.T.; and Horne, Ben, "Unrecognized States: A Theory of Self-Determination and Foreign Influence" (2014). Economics - All Scholarship. 157.
https://surface.syr.edu/ecn/157
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Included in
Comparative Politics Commons, Economic Theory Commons, International Economics Commons, International Relations Commons, Political Economy Commons
