A Paradox Of International (Non)Recognition: The Relationship Between De Facto States And Patron States

International system has been witnessing some jeopolitical mobilization after the second half of 20. century. These mobilities resulted in several conflicts which demand secession from their parent state. The conflicts which are caused by secessionist movements usually end with unilaterally secessions and these entities establish their own state without consent of parent state. After decolonization era, these secessionist movements are regarded as illegal by international community because they are not as part of decolonization movements. So these entities remain as unrecognized, in other words, de facto states. The violation of territorial integrity principle and threat to international peace and stability are main reasons that these states are regarded as illegal. But de facto states can’t achieve their statehood without a support from external sources. While external sources, in other words patron states support de facto states from several aspects, they also have a control on these entities. De facto states which are not recognized by international community also exprerience isolation politics. These isolationism make de facto state dependent on patron state’s support. But these dependences take de facto states away from international recognition. So in this study, it is aimed to analyze the relationship between de facto states and patron states and how this relationship evolves around a vicious circle.