SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The process of state building and sovereignty has long been debated in the literature to hinge on international recognition. Despite the importance of the international factor, an equally important factor in this process is the establishment of good governance grounded in democratic institutions and a culture of democratic decision-making practices. The link that will be established is between state building and governance. This will be investigated in the context of unrecognized and de facto states. By problematizing the question of sovereignty, I argue that these states should adopt the idea of reversed sovereignty whereby priority is given to governmentality and the art of government rather than to sovereignty. The case study that I will rely on for this argument is the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRI) and its governmental body, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Whilst the focus is on a single country study, the theoretical line has a wider reach that is intended to be applicable to a larger body of cases of unrecognized and de facto states, which are on the trails of seeking state formations.