In Africa, the emergence of the first unrecognised/de facto states is
intricately linked to colonial legacy and subsequent decolonisation.

In Africa, the emergence of the first unrecognised/de facto states is intricately linked to colonial legacy and subsequent decolonisation. This legacy maintained the newly formed African states within the artificial boundaries established on the continent by European colonisers. Paradoxically, both currently existing unrecognised states on the African continent, Western Sahara and Somaliland, aspire to function as independent entities within these colonial boundaries. This volume delves into the issue of de facto states in Africa and their impact on international relations on the continent. The book explores theoretical and legal issues, such as international subjectivity, as well as the origins of de facto statehood in Africa. It offers an in-depth analysis of historical and contemporary examples of de facto states on the continent. The authors conduct a thorough examination of the Western Sahara and Somaliland cases, highlighting their significance for international relations regionally and continentally. Additionally, they draw comparisons with de facto state cases in other parts of the world, such as Taiwan (Republic of China) or West Papua.

Autorentext

Robert K osowicz, Professor at the Institute of Political Science and International Relations at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Director of the Jagiellonian Research Center for African Studies. His research interests focus on relations between diplomacy and the armed forces, international security and military conflicts in SubSaharan Africa, dysfunctional and de facto states. Joanna Mormul, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science and International Relations of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Secretary of the Jagiellonian Research Center for African Studies. Her research concerns dysfunctional states, socio-political transformations in post-conflict societies, regional separatisms in Africa.

Inhalt

Robert K osowicz/Joanna Mormul: Introduction - Robert K osowicz: Fragmentation, Autonomy, and Secession in Africa on the
Example of De Facto, Puppet and Autonomous States - Robert K osowicz/Agnieszka Czubik: Controversy Over the International Subjectivity of De Facto
States - Joanna Mormul/Kate ina enková Rudincová: International Relations of De Facto States - Joanna Mormul: The Foreign Policy of a De Facto State - the Sahrawi Arab
Democratic Republic and Its Diplomatic Struggle - Joanna Mormul: The Population of a De Facto State - the Case of the Sahrawi
People in the Protracted Refugee Situation - Robert K osowicz/Joanna Mormul: The Issue of Western Sahara in the International Relations of
States Bordering on Its Territory - Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania - Robert K osowicz/Ewa Szczepankiewicz-Rudzka: North African States Not Bordering Western Sahara in the
Face of the Problem of Its Independence - Robert K osowicz: The Problem of De Facto States in Africa from the Historical
Perspective. The Case of Katanga - Robert K osowicz/Joanna Mormul/Kate ina enková Rudincová: The International Relations of Somaliland - Robert K osowicz: Cooperation of Unrecognised States in International
Relations on the Example of the Republic of Somaliland and the Republic of China (Taiwan). A Model for an Unofficial Approach to Diplomacy - Robert K osowicz/Edyta Chwiej: Proto-state as a Consequence of Unfinished Decolonisation.
The Case of Azawad and West Papua - Robert K osowicz, Joanna Mormul: Conclusions