Serbia’s Campaign to Derecognize Kosovo: A Foreign Policy Tool for National, Not International Gain
Serbia’s Campaign to Derecognize Kosovo: A Foreign Policy Tool for National, Not International Gain

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the phenomenon of state derecognition in the context of Serbia’s campaign urging countries to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo’s independence, the legal underpinnings of the campaign, and its objectives. In lobbying for derecognition of Kosovo, Belgrade does not engage in legal evaluations of whether the youngest European state meets the fundamental Montevideo criteria for statehood. Instead, the justification for encouraging countries worldwide to reverse their recognition tends to exclusively be the “the damage” Kosovo’s independence declaration has caused to Serbia. Among others, the analysis tends to find out if Serbia has used the recognition of Kosovo primarily as a tool to prevent the creation of a majority among UN members who support Kosovo’s independence, not to defend the international order. Against this backdrop, the paper seeks to clarify whether international law recognizes and legalizes the revocation of diplomatic recognition of states in general. In conclusion, the paper will try to prove that by bypassing of the Montevideo recognition doctrine, which not only sets the major criteria for recognition but forbids derecognition in international relations — Serbia conducts its campaign primarily for the sake of domestic consumption rather than for the presumed international benefits.

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