Introduction

In his book “The Creation of States in International Law,” James Crawford (2006) states that at the beginning of the twentieth century there were about fifty acknowledged states worldwide. Immediately before World War II, there were about seventy-five. By 2005, there were 192 states. The emergence of so many new states represents one of the major political developments of the twentieth century. It has changed the character of international law and the practice of international organizations. It has been one of the major sources of international conflicts. Traditionally, the criteria for statehood have been regarded as resting solely on consideration of effectiveness. Entities with a reasonably defined territory, a permanent population, a more or less state government, and a substantial degree of independence from other states have been treated as states. Somaliland became an independent state in the Horn of Africa, which received its independence from Great Britain on 26 June 1960 as a British Somaliland Protectorate. The State of Somaliland immediately united with Italian Somalia to form the Somali Republic (Krennerich, 1999; Dualeh, 2002). The historical archives evidently highlight that over 34 countries recognized Somaliland after independence from Great Britain (Tannock, 2009). Following the collapse of the central government due to the civil war with the military regime, Somaliland reasserted its independence as the Republic of Somaliland (Schoiswohl, 2004). However, despite maintaining de facto relations with several states and international actors, Somaliland did not receive de jure recognition from any state or intergovernmental organization until December 2025, when Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.
Recognition remains largely a sovereign and political decision exercised by individual states. Nevertheless, this discretion is not exercised in a legal vacuum. International law provides a structured framework of principles and criteria that guide the assessment of claims to statehood. Most notably the criteria for statehood and the right to self-determination are particularly significant. More importantly, there is no single comprehensive treaty governing the recognition of states. Instead, the legal framework is derived from a combination of customary international law, general principles, state practice and key legal instruments, particularly the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (Mullerson, 2004; Shaw, 2004). While these rules establish the minimum legal conditions for statehood, the ultimate decision to grant recognition is often influenced by political, strategic, and diplomatic considerations.