Switching gears, I want to briefly talk about a particular real world example in which a pursuit of statehood by an entity is being systematically hindered and its lack of status as a state being used against it. I am talking about the organization that is known as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). The self proclaimed Islamic State meets many of the criteria of a sovereign state, as it exerts authority within its claimed territories (at least temporarily, until they are forced out by opposing forces, which makes its claim to territories contentious) and is recognized by a handful of organizations (granted, these organizations not internationally recognized as sovereign states themselves).
What is the significance of the international community's refusal to recognize the self proclaimed Islamic State as an official entity, and what benefits are there to the opposition? There are both political benefits as well as practical benefits to denouncing the group as a properly recognized state. For example, by denouncing the group as a terrorist organization, the narrative of fighting the entity changes that from a sovereign state to that of an "evil" organization that does harm to the world. This makes it much more practical when organizing a coalition force to destroy said entity.
Though it is without a doubt that from the perspective of ISIL, the status of statehood is crucial in their assertion for ideological legitimacy, especially considering their ideological claim to being the one true caliphate and other sects of Islam being false/corrupt, making conformity to their brand of Islam an absolute requirement.
With that said, I conclude this brief tangent on ISIL as a sovereign state. I touched upon a lot of different ideas here without delving too deep, and I want to explore each individual part in greater depth in the future. The concept of a nation in the Middle East is especially fascinating as it is a reoccurring issue that has plagued the region and is currently playing out in the form of the Syrian Civil War and the ongoing conflict with sectarianism and various militant organizations. However, for the sake of breaking up the action, I'm currently planning on discussing the concept of rational actors and North Korea.
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