Shoestring Diplomacy: Lobbying and Litigation by Self-Determination Groups

• In Event: Advances in the Study of Rebel Governance

Abstract

How do self-determination groups and de facto states use diplomacy to advance their international legitimacy? Lacking diplomatic recognition, aspiring states still manage to foster productive relationships with external actors—trading, allying, and partnering to pursue economic, diplomatic, and military objectives. They do this through ad hoc executive visits, participation in international summits, and contact with party leaders, judicial bodies, and other subnational actors in third-party states. To explore the breadth of these diplomatic relations, I employ two empirical strategies. I collect and analyze original data on 35 years of diplomatic visits of the representatives of 5 de facto states, and I interview 15 foreign ministry representatives from the Polisario Front and the Turkish Cypriot governments. I find (1) that these governments employ extensive resources to establish a constant presence in third-party states and international organizations, and (2) that the legal and territorial status of each movement affects its diplomatic appeals within these relationships. Better international legal footing leads to the pursuit of small, incremental changes in third-party policy, rather than bilateral recognition. Moreover, better control over territory allows these governments to make material guarantees to third parties, in addition to their foundational normative and legal appeals.

Author

• R. Joseph Huddleston, Seton Hall University