Routledge Handbook of State Recognition

This new handbook provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of the theoretical and empirical aspects of state recognition in international politics.

Although the recognition of states plays a central role in shaping global politics, it remains an under-researched and widely dispersed subject. Coherently and innovatively structured, the handbook brings together a group of international scholars who examine the most important theoretical and comparative perspectives on state recognition, including debates about pathways to secession and self-determination, the broad range of actors and strategies that shape the recognition of states, and a significant number of contemporary case studies.

The handbook is organised into four key sections:

• Theoretical and Normative Perspectives

• Pathways to Independent Statehood

• Actors, Forms, and the Process of State Recognition

• Cases Studies of Contemporary State Recognition

This handbook will be of great interest to students of foreign policy, international relations, international law, comparative politics, and area studies.