Kosovo & Beyond: Where the UN Disagrees on Recognition

Kosovo declared its independence in February 2008 - 15 years ago. Despite having gathered around 100 recognitions from United Nations member countries, the small Balkan territory has not gained a seat at the table as a fully independent nation. After a bloody war in 1998 and 1999 between ethnic Albanians and Serbs and a UN administration that lasted until the independence declaration, Serbia continues to see itself as the rightful rulers over Kosovo territory, causing its current status to remain stable, yet unresolved.

There has been a lot of back and forth on which countries recognize Kosovo. The website of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 115 sovereign UN members that have recognized it. Serbia has meanwhile claimed that its efforts to convince countries to withdraw that recognition have been successful in around two dozen cases, sometimes presenting convincing evidence.

At very roughly 100 recognitions and 193 regular UN members, Kosovo occupies a middle point among countries and territories with partial recognition in the UN. The phenomenon often stems from a conflict between two countries or two governments over a territory, like in the case of North Korea and South Korea as well as China and Taiwan. All four are partially recognized within the UN: While South Korea lacks recognition from North Korea, the hermit kingdom is not recognized by its neighbor to the South and six additional UN members, among them Japan, Israel, France and the United States. Both countries continue to see themselves as the rightful rulers over the entire Korean peninsular, similar to the case of China and Taiwan, which is considered a Chinese government in exile. However, only 13 countries recognize Taiwan. Other than in the case of Korea, no country recognizes both claims.

In arguably the most protracted and longest-standing territorial conflict of them all, Israel stands at 165 recognitions - most are amiss from Muslim-majority countries. Palestine meanwhile counts 138 and lacks recognition mostly from the world's developed nations.

Territories only very sparingly recognized by UN members are found in the Caucasus and Southeastern Europe. Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey, which invaded the region in 1974 (and doesn't recognize the Republic of Cyprus in return). Abkhazia and South Ossetia - breakaway republics on the territory of Georgia - are recognized only by Russia and four of its allies, Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Pacific island nation Nauru. None of Russia's associates have so far followed the country in its now infamous recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk on Feb. 21, 2022, just three days before the invasion of Ukraine.