Can Kosovo be a Precedent for South Ossetia and Abkhazia: Recognizing Differences in Dynamics of Recognition
Cornell International Affairs Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 42, 2009
9 Pages Posted: 7 Sep 2010 Last revised: 7 Aug 2014
Date Written: February 1, 2009
Abstract
The issue whether the recognition of Kosovo as an independent state might serve as a precedent for the former Autonomous Republics of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, has been often debated. This paper aims at comparing the processes of recognition of these three entities. It illustrates that the international community has been gradually recognizing Kosovo as a state, while South Ossetia/Abkhazia have been subjected to the policy of non-recognition. The paper argues that because the dynamics of recognition of Kosovo and South Ossetia/Abkhazia have been very different, the establishment of Kosovo as a viable state is less likely to serve as a precedent for recognition of South Ossetia/Abkhazia.
Keywords: Kosovo, South Ossetia, recognition, non-recognition, Abkhazia, Georgia, secession, statehood
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