Judging Statehood

There is a basic set of guidelines that come out of the 1933 Montevideo Convention. A number of American states met to discuss the duties and rights of states. The treaty that was ratified has set the standard for how we define a state and basically amended the way we view the state system. This was the major marker of states and the international system since the peace of Westphalia in the 17th century.

 The three basic de Jure state requirements are; sovereignty, borders, and a people.

Firstly borders that a clearly defined are an essential part of the modern state system. A group like al-Qaeda can not be considered a state because they do not have a clearly defined territory, quite down you pan-Islam supporters. Next, a group of people; so the center of the Gobi desert does not have a population and therefore can not be a state. America for example has both borders and a defined population.... Americans! Lastly a government of monopoly of force across those people within those boundaries; A state needs a government a source of control. The type doesn't really matter as long as there is some sort of political rule over the area.

While these three are basic de Jure state requirements there is an essential de facto requirement; International recognition. This is where becoming a state is tricky. Many places which have a people, boundaries, and a government do not have international recognition. Somali land and Kosovo are both areas which are slowly gaining acceptance from other states.  The number of states who recognize a newly formed state and the influence of those accepting have a lot of weight when it comes to determining if the alleged government actually represents a state. International acceptance currently results in an invitation to join the United Nations. Next I will apply some test cases to determine if current states meet these requirements.