The Strange and Varied Forms of State Recognition
How Do Countries Recognize Each Other?
State recognition is one of the most important practices in international relations. It is how countries show that they accept other countries as sovereign equals. In this video, I explore the concept of recognition and show that while the concept is easy to grasp, the actual way it happens is far more complex than many might realise. Welcome to Independent Thinking. A channel dedicated to international relations, independence disputes, secession and the origins of countries. We live in a world that is still dominated by states. And recognition is the way that those states accept new members within their ranks. Interestingly, there is no clear and straightforward way to signal this recognition. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be formally stated. In this video, I explore the concept of recognition and show the wide variety of ways that states can let each other know that they are accepted, highlight the important difference between bilateral recognition and the concept of collective recognition – and noting some of the more obscure forms of recognition that exist in international law. I also explain how certain contentious cases, such as Kosovo, make the need for clarity particularly important.