Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States

International Social Science Review Volume 98 Issue 1 Article 1 March 2022 Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States Jacob Condran Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/issr Part of the Anthropology Commons, Communication Commons, Economics Commons, Geography Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Condran, Jacob (2022) "Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States," International Social Science Review: Vol. 98: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/issr/vol98/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Social Science Review by an authorized editor of Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States Cover Page Footnote Jacob Condran is a graduate student at Charles University in Prague. This article is available in International Social Science Review: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/issr/vol98/ iss1/1 Condran: Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States Sovereignty may exist in rhetoric before reality. This article examines how the first is employed on the path to the second, especially how absolutist language or sacred rhetoric is employed by unrecognized states in the pursuit of international sovereignty. It was Mircea Eliade who wrote that human experience takes place in “a world capable of becoming sacred.”1 Here he means that all aspects of society, not just those that are religious, are capable of becoming sacred. As Marietta writes, “the sacred is not only for the pious.”2 Absolutist appeals, or sacred rhetoric, are a common feature in political systems around the world, where sacred values are espoused. In the U.S. in particular, sacred rhetoric is often employed with great success regarding a variety of topics, from the National Rifle Association’s slogan “from my cold dead hands,” to more recently with President Joe Biden’s frequent claim during the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election that this election was “a battle for our nation's soul.”3 Sacred rhetoric supports absolute, unquestionable values (that can be religious in nature but often concern secular issues) and establishes boundaries that, if crossed, can have dire consequences. Sacred rhetoric is prominent throughout international relations, but the majority of studies have focused on its impact in American politics. They place particular attention on understanding the reasoning of citizens in their beliefs as well as how sacred rhetoric can inspire them to become politically active. This study, however, expands the analysis of sacred rhetoric to the international system and examines how it is employed on a state level by unrecognized states in order to engage not only their citizens, but the international community from which they seek recognition. Specifically, among unrecognized states, this paper contends there are three primary topics from which sacred rhetoric is created. The first comes from the claim of sovereignty, the second Published by Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository, 2022 1 International Social Science Review, Vol. 98, Iss. 1 [2022], Art. 1 comes from the creation of a national culture, and the third comes from the identification of an enemy, as all unrecognized states are born out of conflict. These unrecognized states, found in the “shadows of the international system,” lack the international recognition necessary for membership in multilateral organizations such as the United Nations (UN), denying them the benefits of recognition.4 Numerous unrecognized states exist around the world in Africa, Asia, and Europe with varying levels of sovereignty and recognition. While on the road to statehood, unrecognized states have found themselves derailed in the state-building process while pursuing the final goal of UN membership, widespread international recognition, and therefore external sovereignty. Despite widespread misconceptions that unrecognized states are areas where rule of law in nonexistent, many unrecognized states have advanced economies, functional bureaucracies, and sometimes even democracy.5 This internal sovereignty, or Westphalian sovereignty, that unrecognized states have achieved, was for centuries the only important test that needed to be passed for a state to be considered sovereign within the international system.6 Indeed, after the Treaty of Westphalia, power and sovereignty emanated from within the state. However, following World War One and the creation of the League of Nations, international recognition and membership into crucial multilateral organizations became a fundamental aspect of statehood.7 Following the end of the Second World War and the creation of the League of Nations’ successor body, the United Nations, the quest for membership and international recognition continued to be of increasing importance, especially as the major European powers began to decolonize their possessions in Africa and Asia. With the decolonization process, however, the European parent states often withdrew their claims on these emerging states, easing the pathway to UN membership. https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/issr/vol98/iss1/1 2 Condran: Sacred Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Unrecognized States For unrecognized states, it is the case that the parent state is unwilling to withdraw their claims on the land controlled and administered by the unrecognized state. This conflict over “who is the sovereign state?” leads to a difficult question of who deserves national self-determination, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.8 In Cyprus, for example, the 1974 invasion of the northern half of the Mediterranean island by Turkey and the ensuing establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), was argued to be a violation of the Republic of Cyprus’ (ROC) sovereignty.9 However, the difficult dilemma of Greek support for the Greek-majority ROC and Turkish support of the TRNC led to a deep conflict as both the Greeks and the Turks were members of NATO. Unable to resolve the conflict with a withdrawal of the Turkish military or a ceding of territory by the Greek Cypriots, the UN has since established a Buffer Zone, keeping the recognized state, the unrecognized state, and the capital city of Nicosia divided.10 During my time as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, I was able to see firsthand the startling transition that occurs when traveling between a recognized state and an unrecognized state. As I was living a few blocks from the UN Buffer Zone that separated the ROC and the unrecognized TRNC, the sudden shift from kebab shops and the shouting of Greek store clerks i (...truncated)