On Attaining Statehood: With Remarks On Condition, Consent, and Sovereignty

Abstract

The current requirements for an entity to attain Statehood are ill-defined, causing disputes about which entities truly are States. In order to remedy that, this thesis undertakes the task to investigate the meaning of each of the requirements for Statehood in order to allow Statehood to be determined in a concrete, consistent manner. To meet this goal, the thesis first establishes the primary reason why States are created, and it uses that primary reason - security - to properly define and defend the three requirements, namely 'defined territory,' 'permanent population,' and 'independent government.' Furthermore, this thesis also researches topics such as the condition of the State, the nature of consent, and the sovereignty of a State in order to further concrete the requirements and conditions of Statehood.

In short, this thesis provides the grounds to establish whether an entity is a State, and if it is a State, what type of State it is.