The International Legal Status of Unrecognized Claimants to Statehood: A Comparative Analysis of Taiwan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Unrecognized claimants to statehood (UCSs), as referred to in this article, are political communities that meet many of the criteria of a state according to international law, but whose claims to statehood do not receive unequivocal recognition by existing states generally or collective recognition by the international community as a whole through admission to the United Notions as a member-state. Since the end of World War II, a considerable number of UCSs have emerged under varied circumstances, such as protracted conflict within a state, secession, or as a result of a collective policy of non-recognition by the international community. This article suggests that although the lack of general recognition does affect the international legal position of a UCS and the exercise of its rights and duties, it does not render such an entity legally nonexistent. Generally speaking, where the existence of a UCS does not involve a violation of international law, other states have acknowledged the separate international legal capacity of that entity and conducted extensive dealings with it. By contrast, where a UCS is created by acts violating international law, a collective policy of non-recognition can become alarm of sanction that leads to greater limitations on the dealings of the entity concerned with the inter-national community, to the extent that its separate identity under international law may become doubtful. A comparative analysis of Taiwan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus reflects a considerable degree of consistency in state practice as regards how the positions of UCSs are tackled under international law.