Rejecting statehood in various forms - Reflection on different forms of Derecognition by States: A Case Study on Western Sahara

Derecognition of statehood by international organisations, states and other entities of the international society is a constituting element of the international sphere. Besides the practices of recognition and non-recognition, it contributes fundamentally to the formation of the international society. Moreover, this phenomenon is of elementary importance for the reality of the existence of the affected subject itself. In contrast to its relevance, the phenomenon of derecognition itself is currently characterised by the existence of an extensive research gap. This lack of research not only manifests itself in the issue that the number of concrete acts of derecognition is often contentious even for specific subjects but is also accompanied by a conceptual fuzziness. This paper aims to shed light on this fuzziness by discussing the interrelation of different sub-ordinated and linked phenomena like frozen recognitions, suspensions of recognitions and direct and indirect withdrawals. Furthermore, the often misinterpreted relation between recognition and derecognition, while the latter is more than just the absence or negation of the former, is reflected as well. Based on these theoretical debates, the practice of derecognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic or so-called Western Sahara is elaborated more deeply. In doing so, the paper addresses to what extent SADR’s derecognition is based on external factors instead of configurations of the derecognised object itself. This includes addressing aspects of patronage and an actively involved base state. Furthermore, this paper provides first insides in ongoing methodological considerations on the study of derecognition and therefore moves beyond a purely conceptual discussion.