Whither self determination?


The governments of Cyprus and Romania have stated that they will not recognise the expected unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence (see report here). Romania has gone so far as to state that it “will not be able to recognise an independence proclamation by Kosovo on any level (...) whether coordinated or unilaterally proclaimed".


The Romanian president is reported to have expressed that this would send the wrong message to countries that face ethnic conflicts. Admittedly, the Romanian president raises an important point about the dismemberment of ethnically diverse States. There certainly is a principled argument for States to respect Serbia’s territorial integrity and cultural connection to Kosovo.


Yet this conundrum must be resolved with reference to the sovereign will of the people of Kosovo, particularly when one considers the long list of aggravations that Kosovo has suffered at the hands of rule from Belgrade. In the light of recent history, is it not more tenable to argue that the principle of self determination should lead States to support the province’s right to self determination?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Constitutional Right to Female Sexual Pleasure?

Movie: HOT FUZZ

Head of State: Legal Debat About The UK's Election. Legal Research Society. 22 April 2010